OBJECTIVETo study the clinical effect of Chinese drugs administered by both oral intake and retention enema on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

METHODSAdopting a randomized controlled design, 78 patients were assigned to three groups: 26 patients in group A treated with Chinese drugs given by both oral intake and retention enema, 27 in group B with Chinese drugs given by retention enema only, and 25 in group C with given Western medicine. The changes before and after a 30-day treatment of the patients' symptoms (including diarrhea, abdominal pain, mucous or pus-bloody stool), colonoscopic examination scores and histopathology of the colonic membrane were observed.

RESULTSGroup A showed the best outcomes in all the aspects of clinical comprehensive effectiveness. Improvements in the main symptoms, colonoscopic scores and histopathology of the colonic membrane were significantly different from those in groups B and C, respectively (P<0.05). Meanwhile comparisons between groups B and C showed insignificant differences (P>0.05); group B was better in ameliorating tenesmus (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThrough the use of Chinese drugs administered by both oral intake and retention enema to treat IBD, which combined external-internal therapies for both overall regulation and local management, it was confirmed that the Chinese medicine could embody the therapeutic principle of attending to both disease-diagnosis and syndrome-differentiation.