Current Status,Strategies,and Perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment for Symptom Overlap in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
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Current Status,Strategies,and Perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment for Symptom Overlap in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Journal of Traditional Chinese MedicineVol. 67, Issue 3, Pages: 264-270(2026)
WANG Fengyun,ZHANG Beihua,KE Xiao,et al.Current Status,Strategies,and Perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment for Symptom Overlap in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(03):264-270.
WANG Fengyun,ZHANG Beihua,KE Xiao,et al.Current Status,Strategies,and Perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment for Symptom Overlap in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(03):264-270.DOI: 10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.03.007.
Current Status,Strategies,and Perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment for Symptom Overlap in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) commonly present with overlapping symptoms, which may simultaneously involve multiple discomforts of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, thereby increasing the difficulty of diagnosis and treatment. Centered on a holistic view and syndrome differentiation and treatment, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrates unique advantages in managing symptom overlap in FGIDs by using syndromes to unify diseases and applying the principle of treating different diseases with the same therapeutic approach to integrate complex symptom presentations. In recent years, progress has been made in related research on the elucidation of TCM etiology and pathogenesis, patterns of syndrome distri
bution, and evaluation of clinical efficacy. Existing studies generally agree that the core etiological and pathogenetic mechanisms of symptom overlap in FGIDs involve spleen-stomach deficiency, liver
qi
stagnation, dysregulation of
qi
dynamics, and disharmony between form and spirit. TCM treatment studies for symptom overlap in FGIDs have mainly focused on Chinese herbal compound formulas, combined use of Chinese and western medicines, and external TCM therapies. However, the overall number of studies remains limited, with issues such as small sample sizes, insufficient evidence-based support, and non-standardized efficacy evaluation. It is proposed that TCM diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for symptom overlap in FGIDs should include a holistic approach based on treating different diseases with the same method, individualized treatment guided by syndrome differentiation, and a bio-psycho-social medical model. Future research should strengthen investigations into shared pathological mechanisms, advance studies on the efficacy and mechanisms of Chinese herbal compound formulas, establish standardized and multidimensional efficacy evaluation systems, and leverage omics technologies and artificial intelligence to elucidate the scientific basis of the holistic regulatory effects of TCM.
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