In addition to the tragically high mortality rate, CDI also places a significant financial burden on hospitals and society. A recent systematic review concluded that the cost of C.diff infection in hospital could be as much as £20,000 per person infected, and Public Health England state that the annual burden CDI places on the NHS is around £500 million.
Importantly, CDI is now being increasingly recognised in patients considered to be low risk, and there has also been an increase in the number of CDI cases occurring in the community.