Rifaximin may have a dramatic effect on hepatic encephalopathy.

With a steadily increasing healthcare burden, all physicians must be aware of methods to manage the complications of chronic liver disease, including hepatic encephalopathy. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the USA and several European countries as a treatment for recurrent hepatic encephalopathy an increasing number of patients are now receiving rifaximin for this condition. This ‘lesson of the month’ highlights the dramatic effect that rifaximin may have on hepatic encephalopathy.