Efficacy of Rifaximin in Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Diarrhoea

AbstractBackground Few therapeutic options are available for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It has been proposed that alterations in the gut microbiota may play a role in the pathophysiology of IBS, and that modulation of the microbiota may have therapeutic utility in the treatment of IBS. Rifaximin is a nonsystemic antibiotic found to have efficacy in IBS Diarrhoea. Aim To determine the efficacy of Rifaximin in patients with IBS Diarrhoea.Methodology 89 participants who met ROME-III criteria for IBS were included. 49 patients received 400mg of rifaximin thrice daily and 40 received placebo for 14 days. Patients were followed up one week after starting therapy, then one week later after completing therapy, next followup 1month later and last visit 3months after completion of therapy. During each visit, patients were enquired about symptoms such as improvement in frequency and consistency of stools, abdominal pain and bloating .Results Patients who were treated with rifaximin had adequate relief of IBS symptoms when compared to placebo group. Rifaximin provided better relief of abdomen bloat(78.72 vs 40.0), improvement in stool frequency (72.34 vs 47.5), and improvement in stool consistency (72.34 vs 47.5) than placebo. But the relief of abdominal pain is better with placebo (72.5 vs 44.68 ) than rifaximin. Rifaximin is well tolerated without any undue side effects.Conclusion In patients with diarrhea predominant IBS , rifaximin provided adequate relief of their symptoms without any undue side effects.