title: [An expert analysis of diagnostic criteria for traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at acute exacerbation stage].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the common syndromes, clinical symptoms and characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at acute exacerbation stage (AECOPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Delphi method was used to organize the AECOPD expert questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed to 30 selected experts of respiratory diseases. The resulting data were statistically analyzed by Chi-square test and statistical description such as mean, coefficient of variation and ratio of full marks. Common syndrome: mean≥3.00, coefficient of variation <30% and ratio of full marks≥10% and common clinical symptoms: for major symptoms present, the index mean≥4.00 and coefficient of variation <30% and for minor symptom, index mean≥3.00 and coefficient of variation <30% were used as criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine valid expert questionnaires were received. The coefficient of positivity was 96.67%, of authority was 0.835 and of coordination equals 0.359 (χ(2)=463.15, P=0.001). The mean, coefficient of variation and ratio of full marks for AECOPD syndrome of wind and cold invasion of lung were 4.12, 21.50%, and 34.48%, respectively. Those for syndrome of exogenous cold-evil and fluid-retention were 4.39, 14.32%, 48.28%; those for syndrome of wind and heat invasion of lung were 3.54, 30.77%, 6.90%;those for syndrome of phlegm-heat obstruction of the lung were 4.85, 9.23%, 89.66%; those for syndrome of pulmonary stagnation of phlegm were 4.36, 15.57%, 48.28%; those for syndrome of external cold and internal heat were 4.59, 16.27%, 65.52%; those for syndrome of retention of phlegm and blood stasis in the lung were 4.54, 12.70%, 55.17%; those for syndrome of qi deficiency of the lung and spleen were 3.25, 27.30%, 13.79%; those for syndrome of qi deficiency of the lung and kidney were 3.32, 27.24%, 13.79%; those for syndrome of qi-yin deficiency of the lung and kidney were 3.29, 28.98%, 24.14%; those for syndrome of yin deficiency of the lung and kidney were 2.98, 32.71%, 3.45%; those for syndrome of blood stasis were 4.67, 10.29%, 62.07% and those for syndrome of fu shi were 3.07, 30.01%, 6.90%, all respectively. The blood stasis and fu shi were accompanying syndromes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seven common syndromes of AECOPD are wind and cold invasion of lung, exogenous cold-evil and fluid-retention, phlegm-heat obstruction in the lung, pulmonary stagnation of phlegm qi deficiency of the lung and spleen, qi deficiency of the lung and kidney, as well as qi-yin deficiency of the lung and kidney. One additional syndrome that accompanies many of the afore-mentioned syndromes was blood stasis.
authors.affiliation: Geriatrics Institute of Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-wan
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian-sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue-qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Su-yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011367:Professional Staff Committees; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires