Study Of The Therapeutic Effects Of Li Qi Tong Bian Dicoction On Functional Constipation

Constipation is one of the common chronic digestive symptoms. With the improvement of life quality , change of dietary structure and influence of psychological-mental and social factors, the prevalence of the disease is increasing gradually. This has affected people's life quality and health significantly and the need for constipation treatment is increasing as well. Functional constipation (FC), as one of the gastrointestinal motivation dysfunctional diseases, is gaining more and more attention. The disease has become an emphasis of recent researches on the dysfunction of gastrointestinal motivation.The research of FC mechanism shows that both colonic motivation dysfunction and anorectal functional disorder might be the causes of constipation. Accurate measurement and evaluation of colonic rectal movement function is essential for the diagnosis and treatment for constipation. After radiological technology was utilized to measure the colonic transit time (CTT) by Hinton in 1969, CTT has become one important method for constipation diagnosis and protinetics effect evaluation. The improved and simplified gastrointestinal transit time (GITT) measurement has been used widely in clinical diagnosis and laboratory research. Anorectal motivation test has been applied as well.A variety of treatments are available for FC. Biofeedback and surgery could be chosen, depending on patients' situation. However, drugs treatment remains the primary option and reasonable medication is especially important. Most of the medications haveobvious side effects. For instance, simulative laxatives might cause laxative colon and black change of intestines. And some protinetics might result in cardiac side effects. These side effects limit the application of the drugs. Since long ago, Chinese medicine has been applied in the treatment for constipation. A lot of studies have been reported,which show that some Chinese herbs were useful to FC. In this study, Li Qi Tong Bian Dicoction basing on traditional and modern pharmacology was created for FC treatment,by measuring GITT and anorectal motivation before and after treatment. This helps to create new and more effective drugs with less adverse effects.Materials and MethodsAccording to Rome II diagnostic standard, sixty-three FC cases were choosen from outpatients and impatients in Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine& Western Medicine Combination Hospital during June 2001-June 2004. Cases who had severe heart, lung, brain, kidney, endocrine secretion disorder, pregnancy and breast feeding stage were ruled out. Blood and urine rutin, liver and kidney function and ECG should be normal. Cases who had excess sydroms by TCM differentiation with burning anues, thick and yellow tounge coating, slippery and rappid and wiring pulse were ruled out. The patients were separated randomly into treatment group and control one with 32 and 31 respectively. The treatment group were treated with Li Qi Tong Bian Dicoction 50ml, twice daily, half an hour before breakfast and supper. The control group was treated with Cisapride 10mg, three times daily, half an hour before meal. Diary card was used for each patient to record (1) defecation frequency; (2) stool forms, of which there are seven types according to Bristol stool; (3) defecation difficulty; (4) GITT; (5) anorectal motivation; (6) Accompanying symptoms before and after treatment, such as fatigue, tiredness, laziness and little speak,dizziness palpitation and insomnia. Symptoms were scaled and therapeutic effects were evaluated according to Nimodiping Method.Results1 Patients' clinical data comparison: The age, gender, disease duration and condition of the two groups' patients were comparable. Before treatment, the difference on defecation frequency, stool forms, defecation difficulty, GITT and anorectal motivation of the patients was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).2. The total effective rate for symptoms improvement for the treatment group was 93.8% and the marked effective rate was 43.8%; the total effective rate for main symptoms improvement for...