A Clinical Study Of Sweet Potato’s Effect On Defecation In Leukemia Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

Objective1. To evaluate sweet potato’s prophylactic effect on constipation in leukemia patientstreated with chemotherapy, and to explore the possibility of eating sweet potato as asafe, effective, simple and cheap intervention method to prevent constipation and allthe other side effects secondary to constipation.2. To explore the role played by eating sweet potato in alleviating uncomfortablesymptoms of defecation and improving defecation satisfaction in leukemia patientstreated with chemotherapy.3. To search for ways to cut down extra hospitalization costs due to constipation and itssecondary side effects in leukemia patients treated with chemotherapy.Patients and Methods1. Patients From October2011to June2012,128patients with leukemia and prepared forreceiving the first chemotherapy were recruited in our study in the First AffiliatedHospital of Soochow University. All the patients finished the study except8patients.2.Methods All the patients were randomized into two groups, control group (63) andexperiment group (57). Control group was given routine defecation nursing;experiment group was given routine defecation nursing plus sweet potato diet. Data ofthe total number of the patients who had first defecation within24hours after receivingchemotherapy, lasting time for every defecation in each patient, constipation rate,frequency of anal fissure and perianal infection secondary to constipation in each group,defecation indexes evaluated with Rome Ⅲcriteria, frequency and duration ofpurgative utilization, defecation satisfaction, and the costs used to deal with constipation and related side effects of every patient after receiving chemotherapy ineach group were collected and compared between the two groups.3. Results There is a significant difference between the two groups in the following items,which includes the total number of the patients who had first defecation within24hours after receiving chemotherapy, lasting time for every defecation in each patient,constipation rate, frequency of abnormal feelings of defecation such as arduousdefecation, sense of incomplete evacuation. There is also a significant differencebetween the two groups in the respect of sensation of anorectal obstruction/blockageand manual maneuvers to facilitate evacuation on the second day after chemotherapy,while the significant difference vanished on the fifth day after chemotherapy. As for theitem that loose stools should rarely be present without the use of laxatives, there is nosignificant difference between the two groups on the second day after chemotherapy,while the significant difference appeared on the fifth day after chemotherapy. There isa significant difference between the two groups regarding the frequency and lastingtime of purgative usage. In the respect of defecation satisfaction, there is no significantdifference between two groups on the second day after chemotherapy, while there is asignificant difference between two groups on the fifth day after chemotherapy. Withrespect to anal fissure and perianal infection secondary to constipation, similarly withdefecation satisfaction, there is no significant difference between two groups on thesecond day after chemotherapy, while there is a significant difference between twogroups on the fifth day after chemotherapy in the frequency of anal fissure. As to thecosts used to deal with constipation and related side effects, there is a significantdifference between two groups.Conclusion1. Eating sweet potato could effectively prevent constipation and side effects secondary toconstipation such as anal fissure and perianal infection in leukemia patients receivingchemotherapy, could palliate the discomfortableness and improve patients’ satisfactionsduring defecation, which is a simple and practical defecation nursing and is featured with high reliability, safety, environmental-friendship.2. Eating sweet potato could help reduce the frequency and length of purgative utilization,abate the costs used to deal with constipation, which would cut down the expense ofhospitalization for patients.