Clinical Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Sequential Therapy in Treatment of Diarrhea-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome:A Study of 43 Patients

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)sequential therapy in the treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D).Methods Ninety patients with IBS were divided into test group(n=43)and control group(n=41).Six patients were lost to follow-up in the study.Patients in the test group received oral administration of Shugan Jianpi Lishi Decoction(for soothing the liver,strengthening the spleen,and promoting diuresis),followed by Shenshu Yichang Pill,while patients in the control group received oral administration of trimebutine maleate tablets.The treatment lasted for six weeks in both groups.The total scores for symptoms before and after 2and 6weeks of treatment were compared between the two groups.The clinical outcomes in both groups were evaluated.Results After 6weeks of treatment,the test group had significantly better clinical outcomes than the control group(P0.05).In both groups,the scores for abdominal pain or discomfort,stool frequency,feces characteristics,abdominal distention,defecation urgency,and mucous stool were significantly reduced after six weeks of treatment(P0.05).Particularly,the decreases in the scores for feces characteristics and mucous stool were significantly larger in the test group than in the control group(P0.05).The total score for symptoms after 2or 6weeks of treatment was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group(P0.05),and significantly reduced compared with that at the previous time point(P0.05).Conclusion TCM sequential therapy has fast,long-term,and substantial improvement effects on symptoms in patients with IBS-D.