A patient with C. diff diarrhea is on a medical unit; what finding indicates treatment is effective?

• A. Stools decreased from 7 to 3 daily.
• B. Temperature normal.
• C. White blood cell count normal.
• D. No abdominal pain.

Answer: (A)

In Clostridioides difficile infection, the most direct sign that treatment is working is a reduction in diarrhea. If the patient’s stools drop from seven to three per day, it shows the colon is healing and toxin-related inflammation is subsiding, which is the primary goal of therapy. Other signs like fever, white blood cell count, or abdominal pain can improve more slowly or be influenced by factors outside the infection itself, so they’re less reliable on their own as early indicators. So the best indicator here is the measured decrease in stool frequency, reflecting a real clinical improvement in the intestinal condition.