title: [Investigation and confirmatory factor analysis of information collected with the four diagnostic methods in patients with bronchial asthma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the information acquired through the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine in patients with bronchial asthma, and to classify the syndrome types.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and thirty patients with bronchial asthma were randomly investigated. The information acquired through the four diagnostic methods was recorded and the database was established by Amos software, and then the data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After analyzing the data with 4 factors, 5 factors and 6 factors, we found that the results of CFA with 6 factors were in accordance with clinical practical experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the results of CFA with 6 factors and with the standard regression coefficient 0.4 as primary and secondary critical points, the syndromes in patients with bronchial asthma can be classified into 5 types, which are syndromes of cold fluid retained in lung, phlegm-heat obstructing lung, wind-phlegm blocking lung, qi deficiency of lung and kidney and qi deficiency of spleen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210029, China. nj-ssf1@163.com
authors.forename: Suo-Fang
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xiu-Fang
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhi-Lin
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Dao-Cheng
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiang-Wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Zhen-Cang
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Qi-Guang
authors.initials: QG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Min
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged