Impact of rifaximin use in infections and mortality in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy.

Introduction: Infections in patients with cirrhosis are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Rifaximin is an antibiotic used to treat and prevent hepatic encephalopathy (HE); however, it has been suggested that it may play a crucial role in reducing infections in these populations.

Aim: To evaluate the role of rifaximin in preventing frequent cirrhosis-related infections [spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection (UTI), and bacteremia], Clostridioides difficile infection, and all-cause mortality, as well as determining adverse effects and adherence to the drug.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on decompensated cirrhotic patients with history of HE between January 2017 and November 2022 at a university center. Patients with cirrhosis, regardless of their etiology and severity, were included in the study, encompassing both hospitalized and outpatient cases. The statistical analysis included adjusted general linear models, Poisson regressions, and propensity score matching.

Results: We included 153 patients. The mean age in the cohort was 60.2 ± 12.3 years and 67 (43.8%) were women. The main cause of cirrhosis was metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease 52 (38%), and the median Model of End-Stage Liver Disease sodium was 16.5 (7-32). In the cohort, 65 (45%) patients used rifaximin. The mean follow-up was 32 months. Eighty-five patients with infectious events were recorded, and a total of 164 infectious events were registered. The main infectious events were UTIs (62, 37.8%) and pneumonia (38, 23.2%). The use of rifaximin was associated with lower infection rates, displaying an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 0.64 [95% confidence interval (CI) (0.47-0.89); p = 0.008]. However, no discernible impact on mortality outcome was observed [IRR 1.9, 95% CI (0.9-4.0); p = 0.09]. There were no reported adverse effects, and no patient discontinued the therapy due to adverse effects.

Conclusion: The use of rifaximin significantly reduces infections in patients with cirrhosis and HE. Despite rifaximin was associated with a decreased all-cause mortality, this impact was not statistically significant in the adjusted analysis.