Cluster Analysis of First-visit Patients' Answers for Japanese-Oriental Kampo Questionnaire Supporting the Empirical Decision of Sho-syndrome / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

Sho-syndrome was analyzed by cluster analysis of answers to a set of questionnaire presented to first-visit patients at a hospital of Japanese-Oriental (<i>Kampo</i>) medicine. The answers from 270 new patients were classified into 3 groups by hierarchical cluster analysis, with a total of 202 non-female related items. We looked at which Sho-syndromes of metabolic (Mb “<i>Kan</i>-” _??_-), gastrointestinal (Gi “<i>Hi</i>” _??_-), respiratory (Rp “<i>Hai</i>-” _??_-), or water and mineral-balance (Wm “<i>Zin</i>-” _??_-) deficiency (“<i>Kyo</i>” _??_) disorders were included, in one of the groups at high frequencies. Water and mineral-balance deficiency disorders were in Group II and III, while metabolic deficiency disorders were in Group III. We conclude that the results of this analysis support the rationale for the empirical determination of <i>Sho</i>-syndrome, in addition to pulse diagnosis by <i>Kampo</i>-clinicians who examine patients.