title: Characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in post-stroke depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the main characteristics of syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in post-stroke depression (PSD) and to provide basis for treatments with TCM herbs.
  
  
  METHODS
  According to diagnostic criteria of PSD, stroke patients and depression patients from Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were assigned into cerebral stroke group (150 cases), depression group (151 cases) and PSD group (123 cases). Neuropsychological assessments and imaging and biochemical analyses were conducted. TCM syndrome differentiation for these diseases was performed. We also determined the characteristics of TCM syndromes of PSD, relative risk of the syndromes and their correlations with ages as well.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Scores of qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver qi depression, and transformation of fire due to qi stagnation in PSD group were significant higher than those in cerebral stroke group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In cerebral stroke group, majority of the patients displayed one syndrome, while in PSD and depression groups, the patients had three or more syndromes. Of these syndromes, the incidence rate of syndrome of liver qi depression complicated with transformation of fire due to qi stagnation or flaring of fire due to yin deficiency was high. The syndrome of liver qi depression occurred much more frequently in PSD group and depression group than in cerebral stroke group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The logistic regression analysis showed that the syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis had high relative risk to PSD. The syndrome of deficiency of heart and spleen was positively correlated with age in cerebral stroke group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The main TCM syndromes of PSD and depression are qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver qi depression, and transformation of fire due to qi stagnation. The syndrome of deficiency of heart and spleen is closely related to age among the stroke patients. The syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis serves as an independent risk factor for PSD. The more complicated the syndromes are, the more serious depression becomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China. chinaxyh@mail.hf.ah.cn
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Li-min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wen-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mei-xia
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jing-jing
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-xiu
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rong-zhi
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ming-xiang
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*