Antibiotic rifaximin alleviates irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

Rifaximin alleviates irritable bowel syndrome symptoms

Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms can be lessened  by the antibiotic rifaximin, two new studies held in the Canada and the United States have shown.  The studies were published Thursday in the New England  Journal of Medicine.

The condition is fairly common and affects one in five Americans. Younger women are more prone to developing the gastrointestinal ailment than any other age group.  It manifests as bloating, abdominal pain, and either diarrhea or constipation or sometimes both in an alternating pattern.

The findings showed that 41 percent of those who received 550 mg of rifaximin over a period of two weeks reported that their symptoms markedly improved versus 32 percent who took placebo pills. Some participants reported relief to as much as 10 weeks after the trial. A total of 1,260 people signed up for the study.

The research group led by Dr. Mark Pimentel of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles said that the results are promising in the sense that symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome were relieved beyond the prescription period.

"We've actually touched on the cause of IBS, as opposed to just covering up symptoms," said Dr. Pimentel.

Experts are still looking for the exact cause of IBS, with some saying that bacterial overgrowth, food sensitivity or stress playing a factor. Sufferers are often instructed to shift diets, reduce stress or take some pills to alleviate symptoms.

Rifaximin is not a new antibiotic and is in fact used for traveler's diarrhea and liver disease. Its maker Salix pharmaceuticals is seeking FDA approval for the drug's use in treating irritable bowel syndrome.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday January 07 2011, 12:54 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0