title: [Epidemiological investigation of perimenopausal women in Shanghai].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the cognitive level and the mental status of the patients suffering from perimenopausal syndrome in Shanghai, and to identify the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome distribution feature of perimenopausal syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cognitive level of the perimenopausal women was evaluated by using general living problem questionnaire. The mental status of the perimenopausal women was evaluated by using self-rating depressive scale. The traditional Chinese medicine syndrome distribution feature of perimenopausal syndrome was identified by using traditional Chinese medical symptoms questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 634 perimenopausal women finished the investigation. There were 74.76% (474/634) patients who knew little about the perimenopausal syndrome; 77.29% (490/634) patients had a depressive tendency; 8.36% (53/634) patients had depressive disorder. There were 72.40% (459/634) patients who had the symptoms such as susceptibility to anger and restlessness, restless sleep at night, thirst with dry throat and bitter taste, and all these symptoms could be classified into hyperactivity of heart and liver fire syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients suffering from perimenopausal syndrome know little about this disease and mostly have depressive tendency, and the major traditional Chinese medicine syndrome pattern is hyperactivity of heart and liver fire based on the chief clinical manifestations of the patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China. Zhengj718@sohu.com
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Chao-qin
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhao-fen
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Mei-juan
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D047648:Perimenopause / Q000523:psychology*; D013577:Syndrome