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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2022 , Vol. 42 >Issue 1: 132 - 139

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20210425.003

Research Articles

Applying latent tree analysis to classify Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes (Zheng) in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

  • Wenjie XU ,
  • Nevin L. ZHANG ,
  • Ping LI ,
  • Tianfang WANG ,
  • Weiwen CHEN ,
  • April H. LIU ,
  • Meichun MOHLER-KUO
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  • 1 Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
    2 Institute of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention, University of Zurich, Zurich 8001, Switzerland
    3 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
    4 Beijing Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100010, China
    5 Department of TCM Diagnostics, Preclinical School, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
    6 Department of Computer Science, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai 200433, China
    7 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8032, Switzerland; La Source, School of Nursing Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, 1004, Lausanne, Switzerland
Dr. ZHANG Nevin L., Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. lzhang@cse.ust.hk
Dr. XU Wenjie, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100010, China. xuwj123@sina.com;

Received date: 2020-12-12

  Accepted date: 2021-03-03

  Online published: 2021-04-25

Supported by

Foundation for Establishing Psoriasis Vulgaris Syndrome Diagnostic Criterion by Latent Structure(QN2009-14);Scientific Project of Beijing Municipal Science Technology Commission: Study on the Composition Rules of Syndrome Elements on Psoriasis Vulgaris and Standardized Treatments of TCM(D09050703550901)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To treat patients with psoriasis vulgaris using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), one must stratify patients into subtypes (known as TCM syndromes or Zheng) and apply appropriate TCM treatments to different subtypes. However, no unified symptom-based classification scheme of subtypes (Zheng) exists for psoriasis vulgaris. The present paper aims to classify patients with psoriasis vulgaris into different subtypes via the analysis of clinical TCM symptom and sign data.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Beijing from 2005-2008, collecting clinical TCM symptom and sign data from 2764 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Roughly 108 symptoms and signs were initially analyzed using latent tree analysis, with a selection of the resulting latent variables then used as features to cluster patients into subtypes.

RESULTS: The initial latent tree analysis yielded a model with 43 latent variables. The second phase of the analysis divided patients into three subtype groups with clear TCM Zheng connotations: ‘blood deficiency and wind dryness’; ‘blood heat’; and ‘blood stasis’.

CONCLUSIONS: Via two-phase analysis of clinic symptom and sign data, three different Zheng subtypes were identified for psoriasis vulgaris. Statistical characteristics of the three subtypes are presented. This constitutes an evidence-based solution to the syndrome-differentiation problem that exists with psoriasis vulgaris.

Key words： psoriasis vulgaris; syndrome differentiation; cluster analysis; Latent tree analysis

Cite this article

Wenjie XU , Nevin L. ZHANG , Ping LI , Tianfang WANG , Weiwen CHEN , April H. LIU , Meichun MOHLER-KUO . Applying latent tree analysis to classify Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes (Zheng) in patients with psoriasis vulgaris[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2022 , 42(1) : 132 -139 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20210425.003

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