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. 2019 Dec;49(12):1406-1413.
doi: 10.1111/hepr.13415. Epub 2019 Aug 9.

Real-world effects of long-term rifaximin treatment for Japanese patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Hiroyuki Suzuki  1 , Hitomi Sezaki  1 , Fumitaka Suzuki  1 , Kayoko Kasuya  1 , Tomoya Sano  1 , Shunichiro Fujiyama  1 , Yusuke Kawamura  1 , Tetsuya Hosaka  1 , Norio Akuta  1 , Satoshi Saitoh  1 , Masahiro Kobayashi  1 , Yasuji Arase  1 , Kenji Ikeda  1 , Yoshiyuki Suzuki  1 , Hiromitsu Kumada  1
Affiliations

Real-world effects of long-term rifaximin treatment for Japanese patients with hepatic encephalopathy

Hiroyuki Suzuki et al. Hepatol Res. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Aim: Rifaximin (RFX) improves hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, information on long-term treatment with RFX is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of long-term treatment with RFX on HE and liver function. Moreover, we investigated factors associated with the recurrence of HE under RFX treatment.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we consecutively enrolled 65 patients with HE who initiated RFX treatment (1200 mg/day) in our hospital from January 2017 to June 2018. We evaluated liver function test results, including blood ammonia levels, and the recurrence rate of HE after RFX treatment.

Results: The median follow-up duration was 41.6 weeks (range, 1.4-96.7 weeks). The blood ammonia level significantly declined from 157 to 86 μg/dL at 4 weeks after RFX treatment (P < 0.01), and the effect was prolonged. Furthermore, Child-Pugh score decreased in 51% (26/51) of the patients at 12 weeks during RFX treatment. The recurrence rate of HE after RFX treatment was 26.2% (17/65), and presence of ascites at baseline was identified as the only independent risk factor for HE recurrence (hazard ratio 4.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-17.5; P = 0.02). The cumulative recurrence rate of HE was significantly lower in patients without ascites than in patients with ascites at baseline (13.8% vs. 50.8%, P = 0.001).

Conclusions: Long-term treatment with RFX was beneficial for HE and liver function in patients with HE. Furthermore, the recurrence rate of HE was low in RFX-treated patients without ascites. Thus, long-term treatment with RFX could be effective for the management of Japanese patients with HE.

Keywords: ascites; hepatic encephalopathy; hyperammonemia; liver cirrhosis; long-term treatment; rifaximin.

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References

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