Baseline characteristics
| Placebo (n=74) | Rifaximin (n=77) | Total (n=151) | |
| Age at randomisation | |||
| Mean (SD) | 71.5 (14.8) | 72.2 (15.8) | 71.9 (15.3) |
| Median (25th, 75th centile) | 75 (63, 81) | 76 [63, 85) | 76 (63, 83) |
| Min, max | 26, 96 | 35, 95 | 26, 96 |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 29 (39%) | 38 (49%) | 67 (44%) |
| Female | 45 (61%) | 39 (51%) | 84 (56%) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| White | 73 (99%) | 76 (99%) | 149 (99%) |
| Indian | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 2 (1%) |
| Participant recruited from | |||
| Hospital | 64 (86%) | 57 (74%) | 121 (80%) |
| Home | 10 (14%) | 20 (26%) | 30 (20%) |
| Inpatient at start of treatment* | 25 (34%) | 29 (38%) | 54 (36%) |
| Antibiotic used to treat initial CDI | |||
| Metronidazole | 27 (36%) | 31 (40%) | 58 (38%) |
| Vancomycin | 47 (64%) | 46 (60%) | 93 (62%) |
| Dose tapered | |||
| Yes | 4 (5%) | 5 (6%) | 9 (6%) |
| CDI history | |||
| First episode of CDI | 61 (82%) | 57 (74%) | 118 (78%) |
| Previously diagnosed with CDI | 9 (12%) | 11 (14%) | 20 (13%) |
| Unknown | 4 (5%) | 9 (12%) | 13 (9%) |
| Number of previous CDI cases—min, max | 1, 5 | 1, 2 | 1, 5 |
| Body mass index | |||
| Mean (SD) | 24.7 (5.7) | 25.5 (6.3) | 25.1 (6.0) |
| Median (25th, 75th centile) | 24 (20.3, 28) | 24.5 (21.1, 27.3) | 24.3 (20.7, 27.7) |
| Min, max | 14.4, 44.6 | 14.3, 44.9 | 14.3, 44.9 |
| N | 64 | 68 | 132 |
| Medication | |||
| Proton pump inhibitor taken in 30 days prior to randomisation | 15 (20%) | 25 (32%) | 40 (26%) |
| Additional antibiotics being taken at randomisation | 5 (7%) | 3 (4%) | 8 (5%) |
All data are n (%) unless otherwise specified.
*Note not all participants recruited from hospital were inpatients at the start of treatment. Participants could be discharged from hospital with an ongoing course of standard therapy for C. difficile. The baseline/randomisation visit was then arranged for between 0 and 5 days postcompletion of standard therapy.
CDI, Clostridium difficile infection.