Effects of Chinese Medicine on Symptoms, Syndrome Evolution, and Lung Inflammation Absorption in COVID-19 Convalescent Patients during 84-Day Follow-up after Hospital Discharge: A Prospective Cohort and Nested Case-Control Study / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the changes of symptoms, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome, and lung inflammation absorption during convalescence in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who had not totally recovered after hospital discharge and whether CM could promote the improvement process.@*METHODS@#This study was designed as a prospective cohort and nested case-control study. A total of 96 eligible patients with COVID-19 in convalescence were enrolled from Beijing Youan Hospital and Beijing Huimin Hospital and followed up from the hospital discharged day. Patients were divided into the CM (64 cases) and the control groups (32 cases) based on the treatment with or without CM and followed up at 14, 28, 56, and 84 days after discharge. In the CM group, patients received the 28-day CM treatment according to two types of CM syndrome. Improvements in clinical symptoms, CM syndrome, and absorption of lung inflammation were observed.@*RESULTS@#All the 96 patients completed the 84-day follow-up from January 21 to March 28, 2020. By the 84th day of follow-up, respiratory symptoms were less than 5%. There was no significant difference in the improvement rates of symptoms, including fatigue, sputum, cough, dry throat, thirst, and upset, between the two groups (P>0.05). Totally 82 patients (85.42%) showed complete lung inflammation absorption at the 84-day follow-up. On day 14, the CM group had a significantly higher absorption rate than the control group (P<0.05) and the relative risk of absorption for CM vs. control group was 3.029 (95% confidence interval: 1.026-8.940). The proportions of CM syndrome types changed with time prolonging: the proportion of the pathogen residue syndrome gradually decreased, and the proportion of both qi and yin deficiency syndrome gradually increased.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Patients with COVID-19 in convalescence had symptoms and lung inflammation after hospital discharge and recovered with time prolonging. CM could improve lung inflammation for early recovery. The types of CM syndrome can be transformed with time prolonging. (Registration No. ChiCTR2000029430).

Characteristics of syndrome distribution and dampness pathogen in patients with multiple sclerosis in south of the Five Ridges area / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To explore the distribution of syndromes and the characteristics of damp-induced disease in patients with multiple sclerosis in Lingnan area,and to improve the reference for TCM treatment of MS patients.Methods A retrospective analysis of the general information of 268 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) admitted to our hospital from March 2015 to 2016 was conducted.And the information on four diagnoses of Chinese medicine,including the main manifestations,tongue pulse,frequency were for the cluster analysis.The Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors influencing MS syndromes.The distribution and dynamic changes of the symptoms of the patients at the initial diagnosis,4 weeks after treatment and 8 weeks after treatment were observed,and the dynamic changes of the syndrome form were analyzed.Results In the course of the development of MS patients,the sigle syndrome and 6 syndromes can appear simultaneously.Among them,there were syndrome of the wind,wet,phlegm,heat and blood stasis.At the 4 and 8 weeks after treatment,2nd syndromes gradually increased,but the 3rd syndromes and 4th syndromes remain unchanged,and the 5th syndrome significantly decreased.The syndrome is complicated and changeable from the side of the development process.The results of multi factor Logistic regression analysis showed that purple tongue was an important factor of blood stasis [OR (95％ CI)=2.357(1.996-3.017)],and the yellow greasy coating was an important factor of hot dampness [OR (95％ CI)=3.654(3.125-4.876)],and the thin and weak pulse was the important factor of the deficiency of liver and kidney[OR (95％ CI)=3.983(2.349-4.218)];deficiency pulse was an important factor affecting Qi and blood deficiency syndrome[OR (95％ CI)=2.852(2.068-3.192)];limb twitching was an important factor affecting kidney yang deficiency syndrome [OR (95％ CI)=3.850(1.037-16.524)],and the above data were statistically significant (P＜0.05).For patients with damp heat attacking vesselssyndrome,the most frequent clinical symptoms were the spinal sensory disorders,cranial nerve disorders and cerebellar symptoms,emotional disorders and mental disorders,consciousness disorders and epilepsy,two bowel movements and weakness.Conclusions The wind,wet,phlegm,heat and blood stasis of the MS patients in south of the Five Ridges gradually increase.With the treatment,the syndrome combination was gradually simplified,the essential contradiction gradually revealed,the single syndrome gradually merged,the 2 syndrome gradually increased,the 3 syndrome and the 4 syndrome remained constant.