Constipation is a common problem in advanced cancer patients; however, specific clinical guidelines on traditional Chinese\r\nmedicine (TCM) syndrome (Zhang) are not yet available. In this cross-sectional study, the TCM syndromes distribution and\r\ntheir common symptoms and signs among 225 constipated advanced cancer patients were determined. Results showed that 127\r\npatients (56.4%) and 7 patients (3.1%) were in deficient and excessive patterns, respectively, while 91 patients (40.4%) were in\r\ndeficiency-excess complex. The distributions of the five syndromes were: Qi deficiency (93.3%), Qi stagnation (40.0%), blood\r\n(Yin) deficiency (28.9%), Yang deficiency (22.2%), and excess heat (5.8%). Furthermore, age, functional status, and level of blood\r\nhaemoglobin were factors related to the type of TCM syndrome. A TCM prescription with the functions on replenishing the\r\nDeficiency, redirecting the flow of Qi stagnation and moistening the dryness caused by the blood (Yin) deficiency can be made for\r\nthe treatment of advance cancer patients with constipation. Robust trials are urgently needed for further justifying its efficacy and\r\nsafety in evidence-based approaches.
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