Distribution characteristics of syndrome types in essential hypertension

Abstract

To investigate the distribution characteristics of syndrome types of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in essential hypertension and to explore the distribution rule of TCM syndromes. A multicenter, large-sample survey method of clinical epidemiology was applied to choose the patients with essential hypertension from North, Middle, and South China. A questionnaire was designed and filled in, then 477 untreated patients with first-diagnosed essential hypertension were selected and the information was recorded into FileMaker database. A cluster analysis method was utilized to study the TCM syndrome distribution rule of essential hypertension. Two-step cluster analysis was done from 3 to 7 clusters. Seven clusters were appropriate, which included deficiency of heart and kidney qi, hyperactivity of liver-yang, deficiency of yin and yang, stagnation of phlegm-dampness, phlegm-heat (subtype of stagnation of phlegm-dampness), blood stasis obstructing collaterals, and other syndromes. The symptoms presenting high percentage in each cluster were more significant in TCM theory. The syndromes of hyperactivity of liver-yang (24.1%) and stagnation of phlegm-dampness (27.1%) presented the high percentages, and deficiency of heart and kidney qi (10.1%), deficiency of yin and yang (8.4%), and blood stasis obstructing collaterals (9.0%) presented the low percentages. As compared with the current syndrome differentiation criteria, two-step cluster analysis results not only include the syndromes of deficiency of yin and yang, hyperactivity of liver-yang, stagnation of phlegm-dampness, but also cover qi deficiency and blood stasis.