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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2015; 21(8): 2315-2322
Published online Feb 28, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i8.2315
Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in China: A review
Chun-Yan Li, Shu-Chuen Li
Chun-Yan Li, Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116011, Liaoning Province, China
Shu-Chuen Li, Discipline of Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
Author contributions: Li CY was responsible for the review of the literature and initial preparation of the paper; Li SC conceived the study and edited the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Shu-Chuen Li, Professor, Discipline of Pharmacy and Experimental Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. shuchuen.li@newcastle.edu.au
Telephone: +61-2-49215921 Fax: +61-2-49217903
Received: July 24, 2014
Peer-review started: July 25, 2014
First decision: September 27, 2014
Revised: October 24, 2014
Accepted: December 16, 2014
Article in press: December 16, 2014
Published online: February 28, 2015
Processing time: 219 Days and 4.6 Hours
Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, chronic, functional gastrointestinal disorder with a high incidence rate in the general population, and it is common among the Chinese population. The pathophysiology, etiology and pathogenesis of IBS are poorly understood, with no evidence of inflammatory, anatomic, metabolic, or neoplastic factors to explain the symptoms. Treatment approaches are mainly focused on symptom management to maintain everyday functioning and to improve quality of life for patients with IBS. However, prescribed medications often result in significant side effects, and many IBS sufferers (particularly Chinese) do not improve. Instead of taking a variety of conventional medications, many have turned to taking traditional Chinese medicine or integrated Chinese and Western medicine for remedy. A number of clinical trials have shown that Chinese herbal, acupuncture or integrative therapies presented improved treatment outcomes and reduced side effects in IBS patients. The purpose of this review article is to examine the treatment approaches of IBS that have been published in recent years, especially in China, to assess the possible differences in treating IBS between China and other countries. This would provide some useful information of unique treatment approach in clinical practice for physicians in the management of IBS in China, thus offering more treatment options for IBS patients with potentially better treatment outcomes while reducing the medical cost burden.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Integrated treatment; Traditional Chinese medicine; China

Core tip: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, chronic, functional gastrointestinal disorder highly prevalent in the general population, and it is common among Chinese population. The current review examines the differences between IBS treatment approaches in China and Western countries. The review reveals more treatment options in China in using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) alone or in conjunction with conventional treatments, with the integration of TCM with Western medicine showing rather promising results. Besides providing extra treatment options, this information would foster future research for more effective treatment to provide IBS patients with better outcomes while reducing the financial burden.