Rifaximin for the Treatment of Persistent Symptoms in Patients With Celiac Disease

Summary

Celiac disease is a condition in which the small intestine is damaged by gluten, the storage protein of wheat and similar proteins in barley and rye. The disease can cause different symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain and weight loss. The majority of patients respond to a gluten-free diet. However some patients (5-30%) have persistent symptoms and are considered to be poor responders to the diet. Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine accounts for some of the refractory patients. This study seeks to determine if antibiotic therapy with rifaximin relieves the symptoms of patients who are poorly responsive to a gluten-free diet and whether this impacts their breath test results.

Timeline

Start

2006-10

Primary completion

2008-04

Completion

2008-04

Publications

• Results Chang MS, Minaya MT, Cheng J, Connor BA, Lewis SK, Green PH. Double-blind randomized controlled trial of rifaximin for persistent symptoms in patients with celiac disease. Dig Dis Sci. 2011 Oct;56(10):2939-46. doi: 10.1007/s10620-011-1719-6. Epub 2011 Jun 7.

Drugs

Indications