Abstract

CLINICAL EFFICACY OF CHAHAAR TUKHM IN IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: A CASE SERIES

Maryam Zafar*, Tabassum Latafat, Badrudduja Khan, Mursaleen Naseer, Kehkashan, Amreen Zehra and Yasra farooqui

ABSTRACT

Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome also called spastic colitis, mucous colitis, nervous colon syndrome is defined as a common gastrointestinal disorder involving an abnormal condition of gut contractions (motility) and increased gut sensations (visceral hypersensitivity) characterized by abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, mucus in stool, and irregular bowel habits with constipation or diarrhoea or alternating diarrhoea and constipation. Symptoms tend to be chronic, intermittent, and to wax and wane over the years, leaving stultification in quality of life. No single available treatment is reliably effective for this condition, and patients use different approaches for symptomatic management, including drugs, dietary modifications, and counselling. Since time immemorial, Chahaar Tukhm have been in practice for various diseases like diarrhoea, amoebiasis but no single study has been carried out for IBS. So, the present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of our drugs in commonly encountered clinical entity, IBS and to collect the data for future randomised clinical trials. Material & Methods: The study was conducted on ten clinically diagnosed cases of IBS fulfilling the ROME IV criteria attending the Moalejat outpatient department at Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College and Hospital, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. Results: All the symptoms like abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, mucus in stools, diarrhoea, and constipation were improved significantly after the three months of treatment with the Unani drugs. The observations are shown on Verbal Rating Scale and results were analyzed statistically using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test. Conclusion: The initial findings infer that the Unani drugs found effective in producing the desired results in IBS patients.

Keywords: IBS, Unani drug, chahar tukhm, ROME IV criteria.