The
problem may lie in the flow of information between the
laboratory and the clinic: an indication about severe disease/
suspected outbreak is usually not included in the background
information on the samples received by the clinical laboratories.
In addition, the definition of an outbreak and the
threshold for reaction might vary between hospitals. The
30-day case fatality was 15% among the cases from which
isolates were received, compared with the overall case fatality
rate of all the cases reported to the NIDR (11.5%).
In conclusion, CDI affected mostly elderly people. The
incidence and 30-day case fatality were highest in persons
aged >84 years. The overall incidence and case fatality varied
regionally. PCR ribotype 027 seemed to be associated with
higher case fatality than the non-027 ribotypes. However,
much of this can be explained by the settings and patient
populations where the outbreaks are occurring.