Commonly prescribed drugs as risk factors for Clostridioides difficile infections: a Swedish population-based case-control study.

Lincosamides and penicillins significantly increase the risk of Clostridioides difficile infections, with lincosamides showing an adjusted OR of 31.4 in a Swedish population.

• Why it matters: Understanding drug-related risk factors for CDI is crucial to improve prescribing practices and reduce infection rates, especially beyond antibiotics, which are well-known contributors.
• What they did: A population-based case-control study analyzed 42,921 CDI cases and 355,159 controls from Swedish registries, assessing drug use within 30 days using multivariable regression models.
• The result: Findings highlight specific antibiotics and non-antibiotic drugs, such as PPIs and corticosteroids, as significant risk factors, guiding better clinical decisions and antimicrobial stewardship efforts.