[Investigation and confirmatory factor analysis of information collected with the four diagnostic methods in patients with bronchial asthma].
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.
Shi
Suo-Fang
SF
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province 210029, China. nj-ssf1@163.com
Liu
Xiu-Fang
XF
Yan
Zhi-Lin
ZL
Wang
Dao-Cheng
DC
Kong
Xiang-Wen
XW
Shen
Zhen-Cang
ZC
Chen
Qi-Guang
QG
Min
Jie
J
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