Exposure to Acid Suppression Therapy Linked to C. difficile Infection in Children

Children treated with gastric acid suppression therapy—particularly, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)—had significantly higher healthcare- and community-associated Clostridium difficile infection, investigators reported at IDWeek 2014. These findings are “likely due to the fact that gastric acidity is a major defense mechanism against ingested pathogens,” noted Stephen Eppes, MD, of Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE, and colleagues. http://www.empr.com/exposure-to-acid-suppression-therapy-linked-to-c-difficile-infection-in-children/article/376536/