SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychiatry, 29 April 2021

Sec. Psychopharmacology

Volume 12 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.610171

Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine for Antipsychotic-Related Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

  • 1. Institute of Mental Health, Hebei Mental Health Centre, Baoding, China

  • 2. Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health and Medicinal Administration, Faculty of Health Sciences and Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Macau, Macao, China

  • 3. Centre for Cognitive and Brain Science, University of Macau, Macao, China

  • 4. Department of Psychiatry, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

  • 5. Anhui Psychiatric Center of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China

  • 6. The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital and the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

  • 7. The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China

  • 8. Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

  • 9. The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA, Australia

  • 10. Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

  • 11. Department of Psychiatry, The Melbourne Clinic and St. Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Richmond, VIC, Australia

Abstract

Background: Constipation is a common but often ignored side effect of antipsychotic treatment, although it is associated with adverse outcomes. The results of the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) in treating constipation are mixed across studies. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the efficacy and safety of TCM compared to Western medicine (WM) in treating antipsychotic-related constipation.

Methods: Major international electronic (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) and Chinese (Wanfang, WeiPu VIP, SinoMed, and CNKI) databases were searched from their inception to November 29, 2020. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model.

Results: Thirty RCTs with 52 arms covering 2,570 patients in the TCM group and 2,511 patients in the WM group were included. Compared with WM, TCM alone was superior regarding the moderate response rate [risk ratio (RR) = 1.165; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.096–1.238; P < 0.001], marked response rate (RR = 1.437; 95% CI: 1.267–1.692; P < 0.001), and remission rate (RR = 1.376; 95% CI: 1.180–1.606; P < 0.001) for constipation, while it was significantly associated with lower risk of rash (RR = 0.081; 95% CI: 0.019–0.342; P = 0.001). For the moderate response rate, meta-regression analyses revealed that publication year (β = −0.007, P = 0.0007) and Jadad score (β = 0.067, P < 0.001) significantly moderated the results. For the remission rate, subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that the geographical region (P = 0.003), inpatient status (P = 0.035), and trial duration (β = 0.009, P = 0.013) significantly moderated the results.

Conclusions: The efficacy of TCM for antipsychotic-related constipation appeared to be greater compared to WM, while certain side effects of TCM, such as rash, were less frequent.

Introduction

Constipation is a common side effect of antipsychotics with a prevalence rate between 28.1 and 36.3% (13) and is associated with a range of severe consequences, such as paralytic ileus, bowel ischemia, sepsis, intestinal perforation, and even pre-mature mortality (4, 5). The occurrence of constipation in psychiatric patients may be associated with a decrease in gastrointestinal hypomotility due to peripheral muscarinic anticholinergic activity (6, 7). For instance, certain antipsychotics, such as clozapine, quetiapine, and olanzapine (8), have strong affinity to muscarinic cholinergic receptors, which could increase peripheral muscarinic anticholinergic activity (9, 10) and may result in constipation.

Commonly used Western medicine (WM) for constipation, including fiber supplements and laxatives, could cause side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even severe adverse events in certain special populations such as those with renal insufficiency (11, 12). Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCM) is commonly prescribed in treating and preventing constipation in clinical practice, particularly in Asian countries such as China (1315), with good evidence found in some high-quality studies (1620).

To date, findings on the efficacy and safety of TCM for antipsychotic-related constipation compared with WM have been inconsistent. Recent reviews (21, 22) summarized the efficacy of TCM for antipsychotic-related constipation but only included publications in English databases, even though most relevant studies were only published in Chinese language journals. Consequently, only two studies conducted in China were included; one study (23) focused on physical therapy of traditional Chinese Medicine (e.g., acupuncture and Tuina) and the other focused on the use of 250 ml of 10% mannitol with 2 g of Rhubarb-soda plus 0.8 g of Phenolphthalein Tablets (24). This gave us the impetus to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the efficacy and safety TCM and WM in treating antipsychotic-related constipation.

Materials and Methods

This meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020168832) and was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.

Eligibility Criteria and Outcome Measures

According to the PICOS acronym (25), the inclusion criteria were as follows: Participants (P): patients with constipation caused by antipsychotic medications. Intervention (I): TCM alone. Comparison (C): WM alone or concurrent use of two or more WMs. Outcomes (O): efficacy and safety of TCM. Study design (S): RCTs. Exclusion criteria included (a) severe physical comorbidities and (b) receiving physiotherapy alone or a combination of physiotherapy plus TCM for constipation. Primary outcome included three efficacy measures: moderate response rate, marked response rate, and remission rate. Secondary outcomes included treatment adherence and adverse drug reactions (ADRs), such as nausea, vomiting, and rash.

Search Strategy and Study Selection

Literature search in both international (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) and Chinese (Wanfang, WeiPu VIP, SinoMed, and CNKI) databases from inception to October 30, 2019, were independently conducted by two researchers (WWR and JJY), using both subject and free terms of the following search terms: “Constipation [MeSH],” “Medicine, Chinese Traditional [MeSH],” and “Randomized Controlled Trial [MeSH]” (Supplementary Table 2). An updated search to November 29, 2020, was also performed.

The same two researchers (WWR and JJY) independently screened titles and abstracts and then read full texts of relevant publications for eligibility. Any discrepancy was discussed with a third researcher (ZW). In addition, the reference lists of relevant reviews and previous meta-analysis (21, 22) were searched manually for additional studies.

Data Extraction

A pre-designed Excel data collection sheet was used to independently extract relevant data by two researchers (WWR and JJY). The following study and participant characteristics were extracted: the first author, year of publication and survey, sample size, type of medications, mean age of participants, proportion of males, and diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders and constipation. Any disagreement was resolved by consensus.

Quality Assessment and Evidence Level

The two researchers (WWR and JJY) independently assessed study quality using both the Jadad scale (0–5 points) (26) and Cochrane risk of bias tool (27). Studies with a Jadad total score of 3 or higher were considered as “high quality;” otherwise, they were considered as “low quality.” The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used to evaluate evidence level of primary and secondary outcomes (i.e., very low, low, moderate, or high) (28).

Statistical Analyses

Due to different sample sizes, types and doses of antipsychotic medications, and demographic characteristics between studies, the random-effects model was used to synthesize outcome data, with risk ratio (RRs) and its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as the effect size. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran's Q and I2 statistic. I2-values of ≥50% and P-value of ≤ 0.10 indicated great heterogeneity across studies. Publication bias was tested using forest plots, Egger's regression test, Begg's rank test, and Duval and Tweedie's trim-and-fill analysis. The sources of heterogeneity between studies on primary outcomes (e.g., moderate/marked response and remission rates of constipation) were examined by subgroup analyses for categorical variables [e.g., diagnostic criteria for psychiatry: Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Third Edition (CCMD-3) vs. Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Second Edition (CCMD-2)/Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Second Edition, Revised (CCMD-2-R) vs. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10), geographic region (east vs. middle vs. west), analysis method (intent to treat vs. per-protocol), and inpatient group (Yes vs. Mix)] and meta-regression analyses for continuous variables (e.g., publication year, trial duration, Jadad total score, and overall sample size). Sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify outlying studies. All statistical analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta Analysis (version 2.0; Biostat), with a significance level of 0.05 (two-sided).

Results

Literature Search and Study Characteristics

A total of 1,725 articles were initially identified. After screening the titles and abstracts, 133 articles were retrieved for full-text review. Finally, 30 studies with 52 arms (2,570 patients in the TCM group and 2,511 patients in the WM group) were included for meta-analyses (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Included studies were published from 1993 to 2020. All studies were conducted in China: 19 studies were conducted in the eastern region, 8 in the central region, and 3 in the western region of China. Sixteen studies used the CCMD-3; two used the CCMD-2; one used the CCMD-2-R; one used the ICD-10; and ten studies did not report diagnostic criteria. The sample size ranged from 60 to 328, and mean age ranged between 28.08 and 69.85 years. Study duration ranged from 0.42 to 28 days (Table 1).

Table 1

No.First authorPublication
year
Survey
year
Total
sample
size
Age
(Mean ± SD)
Age
range
Male
(%)
ACTProvinceRegionInpatientsAnalysisDiagnostic
criteria
Type of disorderType of medicationDiagnostic criteria for constipationRandomizationBlindingWithdrawal and dropoutsTotal score of JadadReferences
1Zhao et al.19931991–199218038.6 ± 11.6418–69144
(80)
(117.3 ± 6.84) hShandongEYesITTNRSCH, AD, ND, and PMDCL, CH, PE, HA, TF, and othersAt least 4 days without stool2204(29)
2Ding19981996174NR17–60144
(82.8)
NRJiangsuEYesITTCC-MD-2SCH, AD, and othersCL and others72 h without stool1001(30)
3Wang et al.1998NR18136.19 ± 8.8018–52117
(64.6)
(4.62 ± 0.60) dShanxiMYesITTNRSCHCLLasting 4 days or more with no stool1001(31)
4Liu et al.2001NR6038.05 ± 7.89NR44
(73.33)
NRShaanxiWYesITTNRSCHPACriterion I1001(32)
5Hu et al.20022000–20019067.4 ± 12.618–8748
(53.3)
NRGuangdongEYesITTNRNRNRMore than 3 days with no stool1001(33)
6Li20032002–2003261NR17–60216
(82.8)
NRBeijingEYesITTCC-MD-2SCH, AD, and othersCL and others72 h without stool1001(34)
7Zhang200320016038.3 ± 11.77NR27
(45.0)
(5.39 ± 2.85) dHenanMYesITTNRNRNRLasting 3 days with no stool1001(35)
8Li et al.20051999–20039728.73 ± NR17–5756
(57.7)
NRGuizhouWMixITTCC-MD-3SCH, MA, RP, and othersCHCriterion F1001(36)
9Li et al.20052003–20049041.3 ± 17.318–7290
(100)
NRShandongEYesITTCC-MD-2-RNRNRCriterion A1001(37)
10Sheng et al.20062005–200611832.6 ± 3.216–5672
(61.0)
NRAnhuiMYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, DP, and othersCL, CH, SU, PE, and othersAt least 3 days without stool0000(38)
11Meng et al.2007200432828.47 ± 10.33NR229
(69.8)
NRShandongEYesITTNRNRNRCriterion G1001(39)
12Wang et al.20072002–200612038.2 ± 15.316–6487
(72.5)
NRHebeiEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, AD, and othersNRCriterion E1001(40)
13Du et al.20082006–200711528.8 ± 13.118–6564
(55.7)
NRShanghaiEYesITTCC-MD-3SCHCL, CH, SU, RI, and othersCriterion B1001(41)
14Han et al.20082007–200815039.2 ± 1.6620–72126
(84.0)
(115.2 ± 6.34) hShandongEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, AD, ND, and PMDCL, CH, PE, HA, SU, RI, and othersMore than 4 days with no stool2204(42)
15Lin et al.20082007–200813433.83 ± NR15–5887
(64.9)
NRGuangdongEMixITTCC-MD-3SCH, AD, and othersCH, RI, CL, PE, HA, and othersCriterion H0000(43)
16Xie et al.2008200796NR16–5955
(57.3)
NRGuangdongEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, MD, and SRDCL, PE, HA, and SUNR0000(44)
17Jiang20092008–20098728.08 ± 12.6819–5242
(48.3)
NRJiangxiMYesITTCC-MD-3SCHCL, CH, OL, and QFCriterion C1001(45)
18Liu et al.2010200730531.97 ± 10.29NR175
(57.4)
NRTianjinEYesITTNRNRNRCriterion G1001(46)
19Li20112008–20107639.82 ± 11.00NR76
(100.0)
(5.33 ± 1.30) dHenanMYesITTNRSCHCLLasting 3 days with no stool1001(47)
20Pan et al.20122006–20078033.15 ± 15.3816–6039
(48.8)
NRHenanMYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, AD, and othersCL, CH, SU, CLO, AM, and othersLasting 3 days with no stool1001(48)
21Wang et al.2013NR87NR17–60NRNRShandongEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, AD, and othersCL, RI72 h without stool1001(49)
22Chen et al.20142012–201325848 ± 527–65117
(45.4)
NRJiangsuEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, AD, and SAPCL, RI, and others72 h without self-defecation1001(50)
23Tian et al.20142010–201111969.85 ± 9.6560–800 (0.0)NRBeijingEYesITTNRSCH, ALD, VD, and DPNRCriterion J1001(51)
24Han20152011–2013100NR18–65*54* (54.0)NRTianjinEYesPPCC-MD-3SCHNRCriterion D2013(52)
25Ye et al.20162015192NR16–60110
(57.3)
NRZhejiangEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH and MDCL, OL, QF, and RICriterion E0000(53)
26Zhao et al.20162008–200912049 ± NR17–8661
(50.8)
NRAuhuiMYesITTNRNRNRMore than 3 days with on stool1001(54)
27Tang20182015–20178041.61 ± 11.1320–6047
(58.8)
(4.36 ± 1.25) dHubeiMNRITTCC-MD-3NRCLCriterion G0000(55)
28Wang et al.20192015–201710038.6 ± 3.218–60NRNRGuangdongEYesPPICD-10SCHNRLasting 3 days without stool + Criterion D1012(56)
29Zhu20192017–201812048.1 ± 4.8725–6876
(63.3)
NRZhejiangEYesITTCC-MD-3SCH, ADNRLasting 3 days without stool2002(57)
30Wu et al.20202018–20197038.85 ± 2.1522–5641
(58.6)
NRShanxiWYesITTCC-MD-3SCHNRNR2002(58)
Order
of arms
NAge
(Mean±SD)
Age
range
Male
(%)
ACTTrial duration
(days)
TCMWM
NAge
(Mean±SD)
Age
range
Male (%)ACTNameNAge
(Mean±SD)
Age
range
Male (%)ACTName
1120NRNRNRNR160NRNRNRNRSenna60NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
2120NRNRNRNR160NRNRNRNRRhei Radix Et Rhizoma60NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
195NRNRNRNR23.38 (average)51NRNRNRNRSenna Mixture44NRNRNRNRVitamin B1
284NRNRNRNR22.94 (average)51NRNRNRNRSenna mixture33NRNRNRNR1.5% Saline
397NRNRNRNR23.19 (average)51NRNRNRNRSenna Mixture46NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema/0.2% Soapsuds Enema
118136.19 ± 8.8018–52117 (64.6)(4.62 + 0.60) d18935.54 ± 8.6318-4756 (62.9)(4.65 ± 0.66) dSenna9236.82 ± 8.9220–5261 (66.3)(4.59 ± 0.54) dPhenolphthalein
16038.05 ± 7.89NR44 (73.33)NR73038.3 ± 8.2NR23 (76.7)NRYu Zhu Shu
Tong
3037.8 ± 7.7NR21 (70.0)NRPhenolphthalein
160NRNRNRNR130NRNRNRNRSenna30NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein and Glycerine Enema
260NRNRNRNR130NRNRNRNRSenna30NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
1117NRNRNRNR25.14 (average)66NRNRNRNRApricot seed
and Linum formula
51NRNRNRNR1.5% Saline
2134NRNRNRNR25.00 (average)66NRNRNRNRApricot seed
and Linum formula
68NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema/0.2% Soapsuds Enema
3127NRNRNRNR25.94 (average)76NRNRNRNRSenna mixture51NRNRNRNR1.5% Saline
4144NRNRNRNR25.72 (average)76NRNRNRNRSenna Mixture68NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema/0.2% Soapsuds Enema
16038.3 ± 11.77NR27 (45.0)(5.39 ± 2.85) d283039.8 ± 11.1NR14 (46.7)(5.32 ± 3.12) dQi Rong Run Chang oral liquid3036.8 ± 12.4NR13 (43.3)(5.46 ± 2.61) dPhenolphthalein
19728.73 ± NR17–5756 (57.7)NR55228.5 ± NR18–5529 (55.8)NRPeony and Licorice combination4529 ± NR17–5727 (60.0)NRPhenolphthalein
160NRNR60 (100)NR130NRNRNRNRRhubarb and Mirabilite and Magnolia Officinalis Rehd et Wils formula30NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein and Glycerine Enema
260NRNR60 (100)NR130NRNRNRNRSenna30NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein and Glycerine Enema
111832.6 ± 3.216–5672 (61.0)NR0.4258NRNRNRNRSenna60NRNRNRNR10% Mannitol
132828.47 ± 10.33NR229 (69.8)NR1165NRNRNRNRSenna163NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
180NRNRNRNR340NRNRNRNRTongfu Qingyu decoction40NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
280NRNRNRNR340NRNRNRNRSenna40NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
18729.10 ± 13.20NR46 (52.9)NR283828.87 ± 13.81NR22 (57.9)NRConstipation-relief Capsule4929.27 ± 12.85NR24 (49.0)NRPhenolphthalein
27728.80 ± 12.77NR42 (54.6)NR282827.97 ± 12.81NR18 (64.3)NRAngelica and Rhubarb Combination4929.27 ± 12.85NR24 (49.0)NRPhenolphthalein
1100NRNRNRNR150NRNRNRNRSenna50NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
2100NRNRNRNR150NRNRNRNRRhubarb50NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
113433.83 ± NR15–5887 (64.9)NR76834.34 ± NR15–5845 (66.2)NRMazi Ren Wan6633.42 ± NR15–5642 (63.6)NRPhenolphthalein
164NR18–5737 (57.8)NR132NR18–5719 (59.4)NRSenna32NR16–5618 (56.3)NR20% Mannitol
264NR18–5937 (57.8)NR132NR18–5719 (59.4)NRSenna32NR19–5918 (56.3)NRGlycerine Enema
18728.08 ± 12.6819–5242 (48.3)NR104127.96 ± 12.75NR20 (48.8)NRPeony and Licorice combination4628.19 ± 12.77NR22 (47.8)NRPhenolphthalein
130531.97 ± 10.29NR175 (57.4)NRNR16331.59 ± 10.12NR97 (59.5)NRRheum Glycyrrhiza decoction14232.40 ± 10.51NR78 (54.9)NRPhenolphthalein
17639.82 ± 11.00NR76 (100)(5.33 ± 1.30) d283841.39 ± 10.47NRNR(5.39 ± 1.22) dMaren Runchang Wan3838.25 ± 11.43NRNR(5.27 ± 1.39) dGlycerine Enema/0.2% Soapsuds Enema
18033.15 ± 15.3816-6039 (48.8)NR284032.6 ± 16.218–6018 (45.0)NRTongbianling4033.7 ± 14.716–5921 (52.5)NRBlank control
139NRNRNRNR2122NRNRNRNRMa Ren Wan17NRNRNRNRSaline
243NRNRNRNR2126NRNRNRNRSenna17NRNRNRNRSaline
344NRNRNRNR2122NRNRNRNRMa Ren Wan22NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema/Soapsuds Enema
448NRNRNRNR2126NRNRNRNRSenna22NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema/Soapsuds Enema
1123NRNRNRNRNR57NRNRNRNRSenna66NRNRNRNRLactulose
2128NRNRNRNRNR57NRNRNRNRSenna71NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
3121NRNRNRNRNR57NRNRNRNRSenna64NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema/0.2% Soapsuds Enema
111969.85 ± 9.6560–800 (0.0)NR286069.3 ± 10.7060–780 (0.0)NRHoneyed glycyrrhiza compound decoction5970.4 ± 8.561–800 (0.0)NRGlycerine Enema
198NR18–65*54* (54.0)NR2849NR18–65*28* (56.0)NRChinese medicine laxative capsule49NR18–61*26* (52.0)NRPhenolphthalein
1128NR16–5978 (60.9)NR364NR16–5740 (62.5)NRMaren Ruan Capsule64NR19–5938 (59.4)NRPhenolphthalein
2128NR17–5974 (57.8)NR364NR17–5736 (56.3)NRSenna64NR19–5938 (59.4)NRPhenolphthalein
160NRNRNRNR0.530NRNRNRNRSenna30NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
260NRNRNRNR0.530NRNRNRNRSenna30NRNRNRNRRetention enema with Glycerine Enema
360NRNRNRNR0.530NRNRNRNRSenna30NRNRNRNRGlycerine Enema
18041.61 ± 11.1320–6047 (58.8)(4.36 ± 1.25) dNR4041.77 ± 11.3420–6032 (80.0)(4.38 ± 1.25)dSenna4041.45 ± 11.0521–5923 (57.5)(4.33 ± 1.27) dPhenolphthalein
19638.6 ± 3.218–60NRNR2850NRNRNRNRMaren Ruan Capsule46NRNRNRNRPhenolphthalein
16048.15 ± 5.0125–6741 (68.3)NRNR3048.1 ± 5.025–6722 (73.3)NRSenna3048.2 ± 5.126–6619 (63.3)NRLactulose
26047.95 ± 4.9125–6840 (66.7)NRNR3048.1 ± 5.025–6722 (73.3)NRSenna3047.8 ± 4.926–6818 (60.0)NRPhenolphthalein
36048.2 ± 4.8025–6739 (65.0)NRNR3048.1 ± 5.025–6722 (73.3)NRSenna3048.3 ± 4.6825–6617 (56.7)NRGlycerine Enema/0.2% Soapsuds Enema
17038.85 ± 2.1522–5641 (58.6)NR143538.6 ± 2.224–5621 (60.0)NRPeony and Licorice combination3539.1 ± 2.122–5520 (57.1)NRPhenolphthalein

Characteristics of studies included in this meta-analysis.

*Including patients with dropout.

ACT, Average constipation time; h, Hour; d, Day; TCM, Traditional Chinese medicine; WM, Western medicine; CCMD-2, Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Second Edition; CCMD-2-R, Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Second Edition, Revised; CCMD-3, Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Third Edition; ICD-10, International Classification of diseases, Tenth Edition; Criterion A, Patient with abdominal distension, loss of appetite, difficulty in defecation, and no stool discharge for more than 3 days; Criterion B, One of three symptoms (decreasing times of fecal discharge or dry stool or difficult defecation) and a sign cluster (abdomen fullness and discomfort, palpable cord-like mass, dizziness, headache, short urination, dry mouth, bitter mouth, fatigue, irritability, etc.) due to the accumulation of belly stool (59); Criterion C, Patients with difficult fecal discharge, prolonging defecation time, only defecates once or has a feeling of defecation but cannot defecate in 4–6 days; Criterion D, Rome terion D difficult fe on Functional Constipation; Criterion E, diagnostic criteria from Thompson et al. (60); Criterion F, Diagnostic criteria for constipation with Yin deficiency syndrome (61); Criterion G, Lasting 3 days with no stool; dry stool; laborious defecation; Criterion H, Constipation severity criteria (level 0: without constipation and defecation one time in 1–2 days with soft stool; level 1: defecation one time in 2–3 days after medication and stiff stool into strips with difficulty in defecation; level 2: defecation one time in 3–4 days after medication and stiff stool into granular lumpy with difficulty in defecation; level 3: defecation one time in more than 5 days after medication, and lumpy stool with difficulty in defecation by yourself, even defecation by external forces); Criterion I, difficulty in defecation, no stool discharge for more than 3 days and change of defecation habits; Criterion J, Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic constipation (62); ITT, Intention to treat analysis; PP, per-protocol analysis; NR, Not Reported; SD, Standard deviation; SCH, Schizophrenia; AD, Affective disorders; DP, Depression; MD, Mood disorders; SRD, Stress-related disorders; ND, Neurotic disorders; PMD, Psychogenic mental disorders, Ma, Mania; RP, Reactive psychosis; SAP, Schizo-affective psychosis; ALD, Alzheimer's disease; VD, Vascular dementia; CL, Clozapine; CH, Chlorpromazine; SU, Sulpiride; PE, Perphenazine; RI, Risperidone; HA, Haloperidol; OL, Olanzapine; QF, Quetiapine fumarate; TF, Trifluoperazine; PA, Phenothiazine antipsychotics; CLO, Clomipramine; AM, Amitriptyline.

Assessment Quality and Outcome Evidence

The mean Jadad scores of the 30 studies ranged from 0 to 4 with a median of 1; of them, 3 were considered as “high quality” (Table 1). Non-blinded assessment and omission of reported dropout were the major reasons for low quality. For the assessment of Cochrane risk of bias, five RCTs mentioned “randomization” in detail (i.e., low risk), and five RCTs used randomization with incorrect methods (i.e., high risk). In addition, no RCT described allocation concealment; therefore, the biases were unclear. Two RCTs mentioned “blinding” (Supplementary Figure 1). The overall quality of the 13 meta-analyzable outcomes was rated as “moderate” (15.4%, 2/13) and “high” (3.03%, 1/13) according to the GRADE approach (Supplementary Table 1).

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Response Rate

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine alone had significant advantages in terms of the moderate response rate (RR = 1.165; 95% CI: 1.096–1.238, P < 0.001, I2 = 77.17%, Table 2, Supplementary Figure 2 and Supplementary Table 3), marked response rate (RR = 1.437; 95% CI: 1.267–1.692, P < 0.001, I2 = 81.40%, Table 2, Supplementary Figure 3 and Supplementary Table 3), and remission rate (RR = 1.376; 95% CI: 1.180–1.606, P < 0.001, I2 = 78.88, Table 2, Supplementary Figure 4 and Supplementary Table 3) compared to WM. In contrast, no significant difference was found regarding the onset of response after treatment between TCM alone and WM groups (SMD = −0.142; 95% CI: −0.783–0.499; P = 0.664; I2 = 91.45, Table 2).

Table 2

VariablesNumber of studiesCase (n)Control (n)RRs/SMD (95% CI)I2 (%)Q (P)PClassicBeggEggerTrim and fill
fail-safe N(P)(P)(adjusted value, RRs, 95% CI)
Clinical efficacy:
Moderate response rate522,5702,5111.165 (1.096–1.238)77.17210.27 (<0.001) <0.0019330.005<0.00181.1001.030–1.174
Marked response rate442,1672,1051.437 (1.267–1.692)81.40231.16 (<0.001) <0.0011,126<0.001<0.001101.2191.067–1.392
Remission rate311,6411,5811.376 (1.180–1.606)78.88142.02 (<0.001) <0.001368<0.001<0.00121.4401.231–1.685
Time of onset5276216−0.142 (−0.783–0.499)91.4546.78 (<0.001)0.66400.6240.6531−0.028−0.592–0.536
Treatment adherence:
Total adherence rate41921920.988 (0.785–1.242)78.1813.75 (0.003)0.91500.4970.87200.9880.785–1.242
Full adherence rate41921920.974 (0.558–1.700)86.1421.65 (<0.001)0.92600.4970.85900.9740.558–1.700
Partial adherence rate41921921.024 (0.725–1.448)1.513.05 (0.385)0.89101.0000.71601.0240.725–1.448
Adverse drug reactions:
Diarrhea188227331.596 (0.976–2.610)58.1540.63 (0.001)0.063220.8800.76201.5960.976–2.610
Nausea and vomiting84503962.602. (0.885–7.650)0.003.305 (0.855)0.08200.7110.75631.8800.752–4.702
Bloating/abdominal pain241,2741,2501.464 (0.934–2.296)71.0679.47 (<0.001)0.097290.6910.18241.1260.708–1.792
Borborygmus44183910.964 (0.517–1.798)55.376.72 (0.081)0.90800.4970.29200.9640.517–1.798
Loose stools44183910.695 (0.287–1.685)85.1620.21 (<0.001)0.42100.4970.67200.6950.287–1.685
Rash44183910.081 (0.019–0.342)0.000.17 (0.981)0.00190.1740.01700.0810.019–0.342

Primary and secondary outcomes of traditional Chinese medicine for constipation.

Bold values: P <0.05. CI, confidence intervals; RRs, risk ratio; SMD, standard mean differences.

Treatment Adherence

No difference was found between TCM alone and WM groups in both overall adherence, full adherence, and partial adherence rates (all P-values > 0.05; Table 2).

Adverse Drug Reactions

No group differences were found in most of the ADRs (e.g., diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, bloating/abdominal pain, borborygmus, and loose stools) (all P-values > 0.05; Table 2), while rash was less frequent (RR = 0.081, 95% CI: 0.019–0.342; P = 0.001; I2 = 0.0) in the TCM alone group compared to the WM group (Table 2).

Three RCTs compared relapse or exacerbation rates of constipation after discontinuation and all studies found that those receiving WM has a higher relapse rate than those receiving TCM. Specifically, one RCT found that the TCM group had a significantly lower relapse rate than the WM group at 1, 3, and 6 months after discontinuation (36). Another RCT had a similar finding (TCM: 13.24% vs. WM:36.37%; X2 = 8.45, P < 0.01) at 1 month after discontinuation (43). Jiang et al. (45) reported that some participants had relapsed after discontinuation in the WM group, but the result in the TCM group was not reported.

Subgroup and Meta-Regression Analyses

For the moderate response rate, subgroup and meta-regression analyses found that diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders (CCMD-2/CCMD-2-R vs. CCMD-3 vs. ICD-10), geographical region (east vs. middle vs. west), analysis method (intent to treat vs. per-protocol), inpatient group (Yes vs. Mix), trial duration (β = −0.002, P = 0.128, n = 44 arms), total sample size (β = −0.0002, P = 0.473), and sample size in the TCM group (β = 0.0004, P = 0.315) and WM group (β = 0.0002, P = 0.717) did not moderate the primary results (all P-values > 0.05, Table 3), except for the publication year (β = −0.007, P = 0.0007) and Jadad score (β = 0.067, P < 0.001).

Table 3

SubgroupsCategories
(number of studies)
Sample sizeRRs95% Confidence interval (%)
(lower, upper)
I2 (%)P within
subgroup
P across
subgroups
Moderate response rate
Diagnostic criteriaCCMD-2/2-R (9)9181.214(0.978, 1.509)70.00.0010.470
CCMD-3 (27)2,3011.084(1.012, 1.162)75.1<0.001
ICD-10 (1)961.176(0.989, 1.397)0.01.000
AnalysisITT (47)4,5951.169(1.097, 1.246)78.0<0.0010.475
PP (2)1941.112(0.983, 1.257)0.00.368
RegionEast (38)3,8731.136(1.067, 1.208)71.9<0.0010.118
Middle (9)7861.465(1.157, 1.856)89.4<0.001
West (2)1301.120(0.946, 1.326)12.70.284
InpatientYes (47)4,5751.172(1.097, 1.251)77.9<0.0010.064
Mix (1)1341.066(0.989, 1.149)0.01.000
Publication year* ≤ 2,008 (25)2,7881.152(1.062, 1.251)78.3<0.0010.627
>2,008 (24)2,2931.189(1.079, 1.310)76.9<0.001
Remission rate
Diagnostic criteriaCCMD-2 (7)7981.168(0.883, 1.544)74.20.0010.818
CCMD-3 (19)1,5361.212(1.039, 1.414)67.0<0.001
AnalysisITT (30)3,1241.386(1.185, 1.622)79.6<0.0010.487
PP (1)981.083(0.550, 2.133)0.01.000
RegionEast (24)2,6721.219(1.044, 1.423)71.9<0.0010.003
Middle (5)3833.713(1.988, 6.902)68.60.013
West (2)1671.191(0.803, 1.767)74.10.049
InpatientYes (28)2,8541.425(1.185, 1.713)80.2<0.0010.035
Mix (2)2311.078(0.898, 1.294)42.70.186
Publication year* ≤ 2,011 (16)2,0491.310(1.074, 1.598)77.7<0.0010.478
>2,011 (15)1,1731.475(1.137, 1.914)81.0<0.001

Subgroup analyses of response rate and remission of traditional Chinese medicine compared with Western medicine for constipation.

*Based on the median splitting method.

Bold values: P < 0.05. CCMD-2, Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Second Edition; CCMD-2-R, Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Second Edition, Revised; CCMD-3, Chinese Mental Disorder Classification and Diagnosis, Third Edition; ICD-10, International Classification of diseases, Tenth Edition; ITT, Intention to treat analysis; PP, per-protocol analysis.

For the remission rate, subgroup analyses revealed that geographical region (P = 0.003) and inpatient group (P = 0.035) were significantly associated with the results (Table 3). Meta-regression analyses did not reveal significant moderating effects of the publication year (β = 0.009, P = 0.110), Jadad score (β = −0.036, P = 0.624), total sample size (β = 0.0007, P = 0.337), and sample size in the TCM (β = 0.001, P = 0.469) and WM groups (β = 0.002, P = 0.248) on the results, except for the trial duration (β = 0.009, P = 0.013, n = 23 arms).

Sensitivity Analysis and Publication Bias

After excluding one outlying study (37) with two arms in which two WMs were used, the primary results did not significantly change (moderate response rate: RR = 1.156, 95% CI: 1.087–1.230, P < 0.001, I2 = 77.47%; marked response rate: RR = 1.391, 95% CI: 1.229–1.575, P < 0.001, I2 = 80.96%). In addition, we excluded each study one by one, and no significant changes were found in the moderate response rate, marked response rate, or remission rate (Supplementary Figures 810).

Both Egger's and Begg's-tests (all P-values > 0.05) and funnel plot did not detect publication bias in most outcomes, but publication bias was found in moderate response rate (Egger's-test: t = 4.248, P < 0.001; Begg's-test: Z = 2.793, P = 0.005; Table 2 and Supplementary Figure 5), marked response rate (Begg's-test: Z = 4.379, P <0.001; Egger's-test: t = 5.790, P < 0.001; Table 2 and Supplementary Figure 6), remission rate (Begg's-test: Z = 3.384, P <0.001; Egger's-test: t = 3.855, P < 0.001; Table 2 and Supplementary Figure 7), and rash (Egger's test, P = 0.017, Table 2). Duval and Tweedie's trim-and-fill analysis did not find any missing study, which indicates that no missing effect size qualitatively influence the primary results in all outcomes, except for the moderate response rate (missing studies = 8; new RR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.030–1.174), marked response rate (missing studies = 10; new RR = 1.219, 95% CI: 1.067–1.392), remission rate (missing studies = 2; new RR = 1.440, 95% CI: 1.231–1.685), time of onset (missing studies = 1; new SMD = −0.028, 95% CI: −0.592–0.536), nausea and vomiting (missing studies = 3; new RR = 1.880, 95% CI: 0.752–4.702), and bloating/abdominal (missing studies = 4; new RR = 1.126, 95% CI: 0.708–1.792).

Discussion

This was the first systematic review and meta-analysis that examined the efficacy and safety of TCM in treating antipsychotic-related constipation. Commonly prescribed TCM included Senna, Apricot Seed and Linum Formula, Ma Ren Wan, etc., while WM included Phenolphthalein, Glycerine Enema, etc. We found that TCM alone was superior to WM in terms of moderate response rate, marked response rate, and remission rate for constipation, while TCM alone was significantly associated with lower risk of rash. Skin rash is a common side effect associated with certain Western drug allergy (63) including antipsychotic drugs (6466). In this meta-analysis compared to WM, TCM has a lower risk of rash. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been widely prescribed in China in treating antipsychotic drug-induced constipation (67), and TCM prescriptions strictly follow relevant treatment guidelines and regulations (68).

Our efficacy findings are similar to the findings of large case–control studies (69). An earlier review found that TCM was more effective than cisapride (RR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.17–0.34), polyethylene glycol (RR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06–0.34), mosapride (RR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.23–0.46), and phenolphthalein (RR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.13–0.46) in treating functional constipation (13), which is consistent with the findings of this study and another meta-analysis (70). Traditional Chinese herbal medicine appears more effective for constipation than WM; however, due to the variety of components found across TCM, the mechanisms are still not clear. To date, no basic science research on the efficacy of TCM for constipation have been published.

Subgroup analyses revealed that the remission rate for treating constipation was moderated by geographical regions. When comparing TCM with WM, the RR of TCM vs. WM was 1.219 (95% CI: 1.044–1.423) in the eastern region and 3.713 (95% CI: 1.988–6.902) in the central region, while no difference was found in the western region of China. It should be noted that most studies were conducted in the eastern region, and only two studies with small sample size were conducted in the western region of China; therefore, the results of this subgroup analysis may not be stable. The different dietary habits among populations between regions in China may be partly responsible for the discrepancy. For example, many people in the central region of China (e.g., Hunan, Hubei, and Jianxi provinces) prefer spicy foods, which could increase the risk of constipation (71), while those in the eastern region prefer bland foods. The advantage of TCM in terms of remission rate was more obvious in the inpatient group compared to the mixed inpatient and outpatient group, which may be related to better treatment adherence among inpatients (72, 73) or due to a small number of studies on mixed patient sample (n = 2). As expected, meta-regression analysis found that a longer trial duration (β = 0.009, P = 0.013) was associated with a higher remission rate of constipation, probably because the delivery of TCM is more stable in longer studies. Meta-regression demonstrated that the moderate response rate was negatively related to the publication year (β = −0.007, P = 0.0007). We speculate that first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) were widely used in the past, which often led to severe constipation (1). In the past decade, however, FGAs have been gradually replaced by second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs). In contrast, SGAs are less likely to cause severe constipation (74, 75). Unexpectedly, compared to those with only mild constipation, patients with severe constipation were often more likely to respond to TCM. We speculate that the doses of TCM and types of constipation may moderate this association although relevant data were insufficient to clarify this finding, which needs to be confirmed in future studies. The association of the higher response rate with higher-quality studies might be due to the fact that response is more likely to be identified in higher-quality studies, e.g., those with well-trained researchers and sensitive assessment tools.

The strengths of this systematic review and meta-analysis included the inclusion of both international and Chinese databases, large number of included studies, large sample size, and use of sophisticated analyses (e.g., subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses). Some methodological limitations should be noted. First, all studies were conducted in China, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other parts of the world. Additionally, the included studies were not large-scale RCTs. Second, the active ingredients of TCM and their optimal doses for constipation were not analyzed due to insufficient data. Unlike WM, due to the varied ingredients in most TCM, no dosages were provided as they were only administered as tablets and/or capsules in clinical practice. Also, due to different components and forms of TCM between included RCTs, head-to-head comparisons of TCM could not be conducted in this meta-analysis. Third, some factors related to constipation, such as lifestyle, outdoor activities and physical exercise status of participants, types and doses of antipsychotic medications, and major physical conditions, were not reported in most of the included studies. Finally, the efficacy and side effects between different TCMs were not compared due to the small number of studies in each subgroup.

In conclusion, this meta-analysis found that the efficacy of TCM on antipsychotic-related constipation was greater compared to WM, but certain side effects of TCM, such as rash, were less frequent. Hence, TCM appears to be an effective and safe treatment for antipsychotic-related constipation in clinical practice. However, these findings will need to be confirmed in future high-quality studies.

Statements

Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

Author contributions

W-WR, Y-TX, and WZ: study design. W-WR, J-JY, HQ, and SS: data collection, analysis, and interpretation. W-WR, HQ, and Y-TX: drafting of the manuscript. LZ, GU, and CN: critical revision of the manuscript. All authors: approval of the final version for publication.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Science and Technology Major Project for investigational new drug (2018ZX09201-014), the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (No. Z181100001518005), and the University of Macau (MYRG2019-00066-FHS).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer XW declared a shared affiliation, though no other collaboration, with several of the authors, HQ, SS, and LZ, to the handling Editor. The reviewer QL declared a shared affiliation, though no other collaboration, with several of the authors, HQ, SS, and LZ, to the handling Editor.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.610171/full#supplementary-material

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Summary

Keywords

meta-analysis, randomized controlled study, constipation, traditional Chinese medicine, antipsychotic

Citation

Rao W-W, Yang J-J, Qi H, Sha S, Zheng W, Zhang L, Ungvari GS, Ng CH and Xiang Y-T (2021) Efficacy and Safety of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine for Antipsychotic-Related Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Front. Psychiatry 12:610171. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.610171

Received

28 September 2020

Accepted

09 March 2021

Published

29 April 2021

Volume

12 - 2021

Edited by

Mirko Manchia, University of Cagliari, Italy

Reviewed by

Xin Li, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China; Xiao Ma, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China; Xiaomin Wang, Capital Medical University, China; Qingquan Liu, Capital Medical University, China

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Chee H. Ng Yu-Tao Xiang

This article was submitted to Psychopharmacology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry

†These authors have contributed equally to this work

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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