Over the last 10 years, rates of Clostridium difficile infections were highest in the Northeast region of the U.S., according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Researchers from the University of Texas examined 2.3 million cases of C. diff infections from 2001-2010. In the Northeast, there ware 8 CDI discharges per 1,000 total discharges in that timeframe. The Midwest followed with 6.4 CDI discharges per 1,000 total, then the South (5/1,000) and the West (4.8/1,000).
However, C. diff mortality was highest in the Midwest (7.3 percent).
Researchers also found that spring had the most cases of C. diff infections, with 6.2 CDI discharges per 1,000 total. Winter and summer came next (both at 5.9/1,000) with fall bringing up the rear (5.6/1,000).
"The peak incidence in the spring could be attributed to increased utilization of antibiotics in winter months," the study authors wrote. "Prior studies have found a 1 to 2 month lag time between antibiotic exposure and the development of CDI."