Rifaximin and Norfloxacin for Prevention of SBP in Adults With Decompensated Cirrhosis

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Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent and severe complication of cirrhotic patients with ascites.Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with effective antibiotics significantly improves the prognosis of this complication. The recommended treatment is a third generation cephalosporin given intravenously for five days.Following recovery patients should receive secondary prophylaxis with a quinolone such as oral norfloxacin 400 mg/day.Also all patients should be assessed for liver transplantation. Most commonly used antibiotic for both primary and secondary prophylaxis is norfloxacin 400 mg once daily.Other antibiotics like cotrimoxazole,ceftriaxone,ciprofloxacin and rifaximin have also been evaluated in various studies.Use of antibiotic prophylaxis has been evaluated to decrease recurrence of SBP in treated groups than in control groups. Rifaximin is an oral antimicrobial agent with broad-spectrum activity that is gut-selective and nonsystemic. Rifaximin appears to have a low level of selection for resistant bacterial mutants. Intestinal decontamination is known to increase peripheral blood counts by suppressing endotoxemia and inhibiting the effects of cytokines and nitric oxide on blood counts. With this mechanisms rifaximin has been already proven to decrease recurrence of hepatic encephalopathy.The most important mechanism for development of SBP is bacterial translocation (BT).Translocation of enteric flora occurs via defective mucosal barrier.BT is considered the key step in pathogenesis of SBP and cirrhotic patients.It is also the critical factor that is responsible for host immune response and secreation of inflammatory mediators that is responsible for hemodynamic changes in cirrhotics.Three most important mechanism of bacterial translocation include bacterial overgrowth,physical disruption of gut mucosal barrier and impaired host defence. Rifaximin by mechanism of gut decontamination may reduce translocation of intestinal bacteria into mesenteric lymph nodes then into ascitic fluid.Thus it may prove useful in preventing recurrence of SBP.There was no study till date that has compared efficacy of Norfloxacin and rifaximin to prevent development of SBP.This pilot study was done to compare the efficacy of rifaximin with norfloxacin in both primary and secondary prophylaxis of SBP in a prospective randomized open-label and non-inferiority trial

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