ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between Chinese medicine (CM) constitutive susceptibility and syndrome diversity in diabetic nephropathy (DN).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Epidemiologic investigation on constitution adopting the "Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire" (CCMQ), and survey on syndrome type by CM syndrome scale (preliminary) were carried out in 180 DN patients. Cluster analysis on symptom items was used to determine the syndrome type, and canonical correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between patients' constitution and syndrome.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Baseline levels in all enrolled patients were not different statistically. Cluster analysis showed 8 syndromes existed in DN patients, namely: I, qi-yin deficiency with qi-stagnancy type; II, yin-yang deficiency with heat-water-blood stasis type; III, qi-yin deficiency with dampness-heat type; IV, yin-yang deficiency with blood-stasis and heat type; V, qi-yin deficiency with stagnant heat type; VI, yin-yang deficiency with inner dampness-heat stagnancy type; VII, yin deficiency with heat stagnancy type; and VIII, Kidney (Shen)-Spleen (Pi) deficiency with stagnant heat type. Correlation analysis on the 8 syndromes and the 9 constitutions showed statistical significant correlations between syndrome III and dampness-heat constitution (P=0.0001); syndrome IV and blood-stasis constitution (P=0.0001); and syndrome VII and yin-deficiency constitution (P=0.0180).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Certain relationship revealed between CM constitutions and syndrome types; constitution decides the disease genesis, its syndrome type and prognosis, as well as the change of syndromes.</p>
Subject(s)
Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Body Constitution , Cluster Analysis , Diabetic Nephropathies , Therapeutics , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , SyndromeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the association of Chinese medicine constitution susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy (DN) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 (T869C) gene polymorphism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>TGF-β1 gene polymorphism detected with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was screened for 180 DN cases and 180 type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) cases without combined DN. Patients with DN were surveyed epidemiologically with constitution in the Chinese medicine questionnaire (CCMQ). Binary logistic regression analysis was utilized to study the correlation between nine types of Chinese medicine constitution and TGF-β1 (T869C) gene polymorphisms.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The DN group has a higher frequency of TGF-β1 (T869C) gene polymorphism than the T2DM group, and CC/CT genotypes than the T2DM group [CC, CT, TT (DN group): 88, 87, 5 (cases) versus (T2DM group) 71, 73, 36 (cases), P<0.05]. The phlegm-dampness constitution, damp-heat constitution, and blood stasis constitution have correlations with TGF-β1 (T869C) gene polymorphism.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Chinese medicine constitutions were associated with TGF-β1 (T869C) gene polymorphism, a potential predictor of susceptibility to DN in T2DM patients.</p>