Clinical epidemiology survey of the traditional Chinese medicine etiology and syndrome differentiation of coronary artery disease: study protocol of a multicenter trial.
BACKGROUND
Coronary artery disease (CAD), a common disease with high incidence and mortality rate, has seriously threatened the health and life of the public. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has an important role in the prevention and treatment of this disease. Through clinical epidemiological survey, a deeper understanding of TCM etiology and syndrome characteristics in CAD would further improve clinical efficacy in the treatment of this disease.


METHODS
The preliminary clinical questionnaire for TCM etiology and syndrome differentiation in CAD was designed after literature reviews and analysis. Through a series of clinical pre-surveys, expert consultation and demonstration, the formal TCM clinical epidemiology questionnaire on the etiology and syndrome differentiation in CAD was finalized, after which, the study protocol, inclusive and exclusive criteria and related quality control measures were prepared. The multiregional clinical epidemiological survey with more than 5000 participants with CAD will be carried out in 41 TCM hospitals of China for investigating the TCM etiology and syndrome differentiation of CAD.


CONCLUSIONS
Multiregion large sample size clinical epidemiology survey on TCM etiology and syndrome differentiation in CAD will provide further evidence in preventing CAD and improving the standardization process of syndrome research.


BACKGROUND
This study protocol was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on November 27, 2011 in both Chinese and English editions and the registration number is ChiCTR-ECS-11001728.
Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China.
Ying-fei
YF
Bi
Jing-yuan
JY
Mao
Xian-liang
XL
Wang
Ya-zhu
YZ
Hou
Yi-zhu
YZ
Lu
Shan Bin
SB
Soh
Bo-li
BL
Zhang
D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires