Effect of a Synbiotic on Symptoms of Patients With STC

Chronic constipation has become a common, often chronic, functional gastrointestinal disease which influences the quality of life all over the world. A total of 100 patients diagnosed as slow transit constipation (STC) using Rome III criteria were randomized to receive either synbiotic or placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the clinical remission and improvement rate at week 4 and 12. Stool frequency and consistency, colonic transit time (CTT), evacuation and abdominal symptoms, Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM scores), Gastrointestinal Quality-of-Life Index (GIQLI), Satisfaction scores and adverse events were also monitored.

Inclusion criteria

• age ≥ 18 years;
• BMI: 18.5-25kg/m2;
• chronic constipation was diagnosed according to RomeⅢ criteria;
• colonic transit time (CTT) >48 hours;
• mild-to-moderate constipation with wexner constipation scale between 16 and 25.

Exclusion criteria

• megacolon, intestinal obstruction, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer;
• secondary constipation (i.e. drugs, endocrine disorders, neurological disorders, metabolic disorders, psychological disorders or abdominal surgery);
• severe anterior rectocele or full thickness rectorectal intussusception according to defecography;
• pregnant or lactating women;
• infection with enteric pathogen;
• usage of antibiotics or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs);
• hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, respiratory or psychiatric disease;
• other diseases or factors evaluated by the investigator which could influence intestinal transit or intestinal microbiota.