Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (06): 926-935.

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Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome elements of male infertility revealed by latent tree model analysis

Zhang Zhijie, Liu Shaoming, Zhang Yueyang, Yang Jingzhe, Kong Tao, Wang Chengli, Ning Peng, Chen Xiaochao, Li Xuesong, Jia Yusen, Chen Xiaojun   

  1. Department of Urology and Andrology, Dongfang Hospital of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;Department of Urology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine;Department of Andrology, Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Science;
  • Online:2018-12-15 Published:2018-12-15
  • Supported by:
    Supported by the Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Foundation(No.2015-JYB-JSMS099), the National Science Foundation of China(No.81473527)

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To explore the features of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndromes in male infertility using computer-based analyses.METHODS: Latent class analysis was used to analyze the TCM syndrome data from 813 patients with male infertility and establish a latent tree model.RESULTS: A latent tree model with a Bayesian information criterion score of-11 263 was created.This model revealed that the characteristics of basic TCM syndromes in patients with male infertility were kidney Yang deficiency, kidney Qi deficiency,spleen Yang deficiency, liver Qi stagnation, Qi stagnation and blood stasis, and dump-heat; moreover,most patients with male infertility had complex syndromes(spleen-kidney Yang deficiency and liver Qi stagnation) rather than simple single syndromes.CONCLUSION: The hidden tree model analysis revealed the objective and quantitative complex relationships between the TCM symptoms of male infertility, and obtained the quantification and objective evidence of TCM syndromes in male infertility.

Key words: Infertility,male, Syndromes and signs, Latent tree model

Cite this article

Zhang Zhijie, Liu Shaoming, Zhang Yueyang, Yang Jingzhe, Kong Tao, Wang Chengli, Ning Peng, Chen Xiaochao, Li Xuesong, Jia Yusen, Chen Xiaojun. Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome elements of male infertility revealed by latent tree model analysis[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2018, 38(06): 926-935.