RESUMEN
Objective To observe the effects of liver-discharging and stomach-harmonizing therapy on quality of life in senile patients with reflux esophagitis and to evaluate the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on chronic diseases. Methods Sixty patients with senile reflux esophagitis selected from in-patients and out-patients of Henan Province Hospital of TCM from March 2012 to October 2013 were randomly divided into experimental group and control group(each,30 patients). The experimental group was treated with Xiaoyao powder (its ingredients could be added or subtracted according to the patient's individual situation)combined with omeprazole and domperidone,while in the control group,only western drugs,omeprazole and domperidone were applied. The therapies in both groups lasting for 8 weeks constituted one therapeutic course. The MOS 36-item short form healthy survey(SF-36)was used to evaluate the degree of improvement of patients,quality of life,and clinical effects and adverse drug reaction were observed. Results The total scores of SF-36,physical and mental health scores of both groups were increased significantly,and the degree of elevation in scores in the experimental group was markedly higher than that in the control group(total scores of SF-36:124.2±11.5 vs. 117.1±10.9,physical health scores:67.9±5.3 vs. 62.9±6.2,mental health scores:56.1±6.7 vs. 55.0±6.6,all P<0.05). The total effective rate of experimental group was much superior to that of control group(96.7%vs. 80.0%,P<0.05). No obvious adverse reactions happened in the two groups. Conclusion Liver-discharging and stomach-harmonizing therapy can improve the quality of life in aged patients with reflux esophagitis.