ObjectiveTo explore the clinical effect of Zhizhu Pills combined with Sini Powder for the treatment of constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) in liver qi stagnation and retarded flow type, and its influence on patients′ gastrointestinal hormones. MethodsA total of 61 patients with IBS-C in liver qi stagnation and retarded flow type were randomly divided into control group (30 cases) or observation group (31 cases). On the basis of routine therapy, the control group was orally administrated Mosapride Citrate Dispersible Tablets, whereas the observation group was orally administrated modified Zhizhu Pills combined with Sini Powder for treatment. Both groups received a 6-week treatment course. The pre- and post-treatment Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes scores, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life, (PAC-QOL) scale score, and levels of serum motilin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), P substance, as well as post-treatment clinical efficacy and occurrence of adverse reactions during treatment were compared between the two groups. ResultsAfter treatment, the observation group exhibited lower scores of abdominal pain and distension, early satiety and anorexia, defecation frequency decreasing, hard stool, defecation difficulty, and psychiatric symptoms, as well as a lower total score of Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes as compared with before treatment and the control group (P＜0.05), whereas both groups yielded a lower score of belching as compared with before treatment (P＜0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between the inter-groups (P＞0.05). After treatment, the observation group yielded lower scores of various dimensions and total score of PAC-QOL as compared with before treatment and the control group (P＜0.05), and the control group interpreted lower physiological score, satisfaction score, and total score of PAC-QOL scale as compared with before treatment (P＜0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in psychiatric score and worry score of PAC-QOL scale between before and after treatment (P＞0.05). After treatment, the observation group interpreted elevated levels of serum motilin and P substance, while a lower serum VIP level as compared with before treatment and the control group (P＜0.05); furthermore, the control group depicted an elevated serum motilin level, and a decreased serum VIP level as compared with before treatment (P＜0.05), whereas no statistically significant difference in serum P substance level was found between before treatment and after treatment (P＞0.05). The efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group (P＜0.05). During treatment, no adverse reactions of patients in the observation group occurred, whereas there were 2 cases of mild xerostomia in the control group. ConclusionThe efficacy of Zhizhu Pills combined with Sini Powder for the treatment of patients with IBS-C in liver qi stagnation and retarded flow type is superior to Mosapride Citrate Dispersible Tablets, which can relieve patients′ clinical symptoms, ameliorate their psychiatric status, improve quality of life through regulating patients′ serum VIP, motilin, and P substance levels.

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