[Rifaximin improves clinical symptoms and short-term survival in cirrhotic patients with refractory type ascites]

Objective: To investigate the effects of rifaximin treatment outcomes on complications and 24-week survival rate in cirrhotic patients with refractory type ascites. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 62 cases with refractory ascites, and were divided into rifaximin treatment group (42 cases) and control group (20 cases) according to the actual treatment conditions. Rifaximin treatment group patients were administered oral rifaximin-α 200 mg four times daily for 24 consecutive weeks, and the other treatments were basically the same in both groups. Fasting body weight, ascites, complications and survival rate between the two groups were observed. Measurement data of the two groups using t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and repeated measures analysis of variance were compared. χ² test or Fisher's exact test were used to compare the enumeration data between the two groups. Kaplan-meier survival analysis was used to compare the survival rates. Results: At 24-week of rifaximin treatment, patients average body weight was reduced by 3.2 kg and the average ascites depth was reduced by 4.5 cm with B-ultrasound measurement, while in the control group at 24-week, the average body weight was reduced by 1.1 kg and the average ascites depth was reduced by 2.1 cm with B-ultrasound measurement, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (F=4.972, P=0.035; F=5.288, P=0.027). Hepatic encephalopathy incidence of grade II or above, hospitalization rates due to exacerbation of ascites, and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis were significantly lower in the rifaximin treatment group than those in the control group (2.4% vs. 20.0%, χ²=5.295, P=0.021; 11.9% vs. 50.0%, χ²=10.221, P=0.001; 7.1% vs. 25.0%, χ²=3.844, P=0.050). The 24-week survival rate was 83.3% in the rifaximin treatment group and 60.0% in the control group, P=0.039. Conclusion: Rifaximin treatment can significantly improve ascites symptoms, reduce the incidence of cirrhosis complications and improve the 24-week survival rate in cirrhotic patients with refractory type ascites.