title: Study on the relationship between Chinese medicine constitutive susceptibility and diversity of syndrome in diabetic nephropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between Chinese medicine (CM) constitutive susceptibility and syndrome diversity in diabetic nephropathy (DN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Epidemiologic investigation on constitution adopting the "Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire" (CCMQ), and survey on syndrome type by CM syndrome scale (preliminary) were carried out in 180 DN patients. Cluster analysis on symptom items was used to determine the syndrome type, and canonical correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between patients' constitution and syndrome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline levels in all enrolled patients were not different statistically. Cluster analysis showed 8 syndromes existed in DN patients, namely: I, qi-yin deficiency with qi-stagnancy type; II, yin-yang deficiency with heat-water-blood stasis type; III, qi-yin deficiency with dampness-heat type; IV, yin-yang deficiency with blood-stasis and heat type; V, qi-yin deficiency with stagnant heat type; VI, yin-yang deficiency with inner dampness-heat stagnancy type; VII, yin deficiency with heat stagnancy type; and VIII, Kidney (Shen)-Spleen (Pi) deficiency with stagnant heat type. Correlation analysis on the 8 syndromes and the 9 constitutions showed statistical significant correlations between syndrome III and dampness-heat constitution (P=0.0001); syndrome IV and blood-stasis constitution (P=0.0001); and syndrome VII and yin-deficiency constitution (P=0.0180).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Certain relationship revealed between CM constitutions and syndrome types; constitution decides the disease genesis, its syndrome type and prognosis, as well as the change of syndromes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hangzhou Red-Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mou
authors.forename: Di-yi
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Wen-hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dan-yang
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ying-hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong-bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Cheng-min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shou
authors.forename: Jia-wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jin-xi
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Guo-ling
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001824:Body Constitution; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D013577:Syndrome