Distribution Characteristics of TCM Basic Syndromes in 1152 Sub-healthy People Working in the Fields of Education and Health Care in Shanghai / 中国中医药信息杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the distribution characteristics of TCM basic syndromes in sub-healthy status. Methods Based on a clinical epidemiologic method, an epidemiological investigation in people working in the fields of education and health care in Jing’ an District of Shanghai from Oct. to Dec., 2009 was conducted in order to conclude the main symptoms and basic syndrome characteristics of sub-health. Results Totally 1152 cases out of 1502 were in sub-healthy status. The most common symptoms of sub-healthy status were fatigue, fatigue that is not improved by bed rest, dizziness, dryness of eye, waist acerbity of eye, dry pharynx, memory difficulty, decreased food appetite, hypoposia, sweating, pain, negative feeling, tantrum, difficulty in falling asleep, early awakening, low-quality sleep, aneuria, drop in energy, frequent colds, and cold-blooded feeling;the most common physical signs were low spirits and neurolysis, sallow complexion, low voice, big body of tongue, pale tongue, greasy fur, and pulse breakdown;the most common syndrome types were qi-stagnation in liver with deficiency of spleen (20.31%), deficiency of both heart and spleen (16.49%), spleen asthenic fluid-retention (14.76%), qi-depression in liver (11.98%), hepatic and renal yin-deficiency (11.63%), phlegm-heat attacking internally (8.07%), qi-deficiency in liver and spleen (7.99%), pathogenic fire derived from qi-stagnation in liver (3.13%). Conclusion Based on this cross-sectional study, clinical manifestation and symptom types of sub-healthy status could be identified preliminarily, and the basis of treating sub-health with traditional Chinese medicine could be provided.