Table 1.
Characteristics of the included studies in meta-analysis.
| Study | Diagnostic criteria |
Type of the control group |
Treatment duration |
Age (years) | Percentage of men |
Intervention drugs | Symptom improvement | Adverse event |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case | Control | Case | Control | Case | Control | Case | Control | |||||
| Chen and Wang, 2014 [14] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 4 weeks | 55–78 | 53–79 | 55 | 48 | MBYT (36.0 g, DE, TID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 85.0% (34/40) |
80.0% (32/40) |
Included |
| Duan, 2014 [15] | CGND/RIIIC | Stimulant laxatives | 3 weeks | 57–69 | 56–68 | 50 | 46 | MBYT (45.0 g, DE, TID) | Phenolphthalein (100 mg, TA, QD) | 100.0% (50/50) |
84.0% (42/50) |
NR |
| Hu et al., 2012 [16] | CGND | Stimulant laxatives | 4 weeks | 68.1 ± 10.6 | 66.6 ± 11.1 | 40 | 36 | MBYT (38.0 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 92.9% (39/42) |
71.4% (30/42) |
Included |
| Huang, 2007 [17] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 2 weeks | 42.0 ± 1.0 | 42.6 ± 1.2 | 46 | 44 | MBYT (69.5 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 95.8% (46/48) |
87.5% (42/48) |
NR |
| Jin, 2014 [18] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 4 weeks | 59–84 | 59–83 | 66 | 64 | MBYT (41.0 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 92.0% (46/50) |
80.0% (40/50) |
Included |
| Li et al., 2014 [19] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 3 weeks | 66–82 | 65–84 | 54 | 70 | MBYT (28.5 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 80.0% (28/35) |
51.5% (17/33) |
Included |
| Liu, 2008 [20] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 4 weeks | 55–82 | 52–80 | 38 | 32 | MBYT (60.5 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 86.2% (25/29) |
78.6% (22/28) |
Included |
| Pan, 2013 [21] | DESS/RIIC | Stimulant laxatives | 2 weeks | 62–76 | 63–75 | 60 | 55 | MBYT (56.5 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (100 mg, TA, QD) | 90.0% (18/20) |
70.0% (14/20) |
NR |
| Shen, 2011 [22] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 10 days | 60–78 | 60–80 | 75 | 70 | MBYT (40.0 g, DE, BID) | Bisacodyl (5 mg, TA, TID) | 98.8% (79/80) |
80.0% (32/40) |
NR |
| Wang et al., 2014 [23] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 1 week | 57–87 | 54–86 | 71 | 64 | MBYT (38.0 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 90.5% (38/42) |
66.7% (28/42) |
Included |
| Wu et al., 2013 [24] | CGND/RIIIC | Stimulant laxatives | 2 weeks | 50.3 ± 19.2 | 48.4 ± 25.3 | 37 | 50 | MBYT (64.5 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (100 mg, TA, QD) |
90.0% (27/30) |
70.0% (21/30) |
NR |
| Yang and Chu 2014 [25] | CGND | Stimulant laxatives | 5 weeks | 45–81 | 42–83 | 53 | 50 | MBYT (60.5 g, DE, BID) | Bisacodyl (5 mg, TA, QD) | 93.8% (30/32) |
71.9% (23/32) |
NR |
| Yang, 2011 [26] | DESS | Stimulant laxatives | 2 weeks | 65.2 ± 2.3 | 63.9 ± 2.0 | 45 | 42 | MBYT (48.5 g, DE, BID) | Phenolphthalein (200 mg, TA, QD) | 90.0% (36/40) |
77.5% (31/40) |
NR |
| Shen et al., 2014 [27] | CGND | Osmotic laxatives | 1 week | 22–71 | 22–71 | 58 | 58 | MBYT (47.5 g, DE, BID) | Duphalac (10 g, SO, BID) | 95.0% (19/20) |
72.0% (18/25) |
NR |
| Fu, 2016 [28] | CGND/DESS | Prokinetic agents | 4 weeks | 32.5 ± 10.1 | 31.6 ± 9.8 | 58 | 57 | MBYT (41.0 g, DE, BID) | Cisapride (5 mg, TA, TID) | 93.3% (56/60) |
81.7% (49/60) |
Included |
| He, 2010 [29] | DESS | Prokinetic agents | 2 weeks | 18–72 | 18–72 | 42 | 42 | MBYT (64.5 g, DE, BID) | Cisapride (5 mg, TA, BID) | 96.0% (96/100) |
68.0% (34/50) |
|
| Hui and Li, 2012 [30] | DESS | Prokinetic agents | 2 weeks | 65.4 ± 6.3 | 67.3 ± 5.8 | 63 | 67 | MBYT (47.5 g, DE, BID) | Cisapride (5 mg, TA, TID) | 90.0% (27/30) |
83.3% (25/30) |
NR |
| Song, 2010 [31] | CGND/DESS /RIIC |
Prokinetic agents | 4 weeks | 43.6 ± 5.1 | 45.1 ± 5.3 | 56 | 55 | MBYT (70.0 g, DE, BID) | Cisapride (5 mg, TA, TID) | 92.3% (36/39) |
85.0% (34/40) |
NR |
| Xu et al., 2012 [32] | DESS/RIIIC | Prokinetic agents | 20 days | 80.9 ± 6.4 | 79.6 ± 7.9 | 50 | 50 | MBYT (3.0 g, PI, TID) | Mosapride (10 mg, TA, TID) | 60.0% (24/40) |
67.5% (27/40) |
NR |
| Biofeedback | 20 days | 75.7 ± 9.7 | 79.2 ± 7.7 | 48 | 48 | MBYT (3.0 g, PI, TID) + Biofeedback (QD) | Biofeedback (QD) | 97.5% (39/40) |
55.0% (22/40) |
NR | ||
| Zhang et al., 2016 [33] | CGND/DESS /RIIIC |
Prokinetic agents | 60 days | 18–66 | 18–68 | 53 | 47 | MBYT (28.5 g, DE, BID) | Cisapride (5 mg, TA, TID) | 92.1% (35/38) |
68.4% (26/38) |
NR |
| Li and Xin, 2011 [13] | DESS/RIIIC | Osmotic laxatives | 4 weeks | 45–86 | 45–86 | 48 | 48 | MBYT (3.0 g, GR, BID) + Duphalac (667 mg, SO, BID) | Duphalac (667 mg, SO, BID) | 28.8% (24/29) |
58.6% (17/29) |
Included |
| Zheng et al., 2013 [34] | CGND/DESS /RIIIC |
Osmotic laxatives | 3 weeks | 30–80 | 29–77 | 57 | 53 | MBYT (120.0 g, DE, QD) + PEG4000 (20 g, PO, QD) |
PEG4000 (20 g, PO, QD) | 90.0% (27/30) |
73.3% (22/30) |
Included |
| Deng, 2012 [35] | CGND | Prokinetic agents | 3 weeks | 59–78 | 57–79 | 41 | 46 | MBYT (50.5 g, DE, BID) + Cisapride (10 mg, TID) | Cisapride (10 mg, TA, TID) | 89.7% (35/39) |
66.7% (26/39) |
NR |
| Xu, 2012 [36] | DESS/RIIIC | Prokinetic agents | 4 weeks | >60 | >60 | 60 | 55 | MBYT (34.3 g, DE, TID) + Mosapride (5 mg, TA, TID) | Mosapride (5 mg, TA, TID) | 87.5% (35/40) |
77.5% (31/40) |
Included |
| Huang, 2003 [37] | DESS | Biofeedback | 2 weeks | 35–50 | 35–50 | 0 | 0 | MBYT (3.0 g, PI, QD) + Kegel exercises (QD) | Kegel exercises (QD) | 98.0% (49/50) |
70.0% (28/40) |
NR |
MBYT: Modified Buzhong-Yiqi-Tang; CGND: clinical guideline of new drugs for TCM; DESS: diagnostic efficacy of standard TCM syndrome; RIIC: Rome II Criteria; RIIIC: Rome III Criteria; DE, decoction; GR, granules; PI, pill; PO, powder; SO, solution; TA, tablet; QD, once a day; BID, twice a day; TID, three times a day; NR, no record.