Symptom Characteristics of Kidney- Yin Deficiency and Kidney- Yang Deficiency in Hong Kong Chinese Midlife Women

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between the body constitution and menopausal symptoms in climacteric women. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 427 women aged 40-60 years from the hospital and nearby community. In addition to filling out a questionnaire on menopause rating scale - Traditional Chinese version, the participants completed the body constitution questionnaire. This classifies a person to 1 or more of 3 imbalanced constitutional types, which are yin-xu, yang-xu and stasis-stagnation. We constructed logistic regression models to estimate probabilities of the menopausal symptoms among climacteric women presenting with various menopausal status and differing body constitutions. Results: The frequency and scores of the yin-xu, yang-xu, and stasis-stagnation constitutions were significantly higher in perimenopausal and postmenopausal than premenopausal women. Compared to the non-constitution women, the odds ratio of having hot flushes, sleeping disorders, sexual problems, irritability, and anxiety were significantly higher with the yin-xu constitution. The women with a yang-xu constitution had significantly higher odds ratios for having bladder problems, muscle and joint problems, depressive mood, and heart discomfort. Symptoms of heart discomfort, physical and mental exhaustion, and sleeping disorders were correlated to the stasis-stagnation constitution. Conclusion: With the additional key symptoms related to the 3 constitutional types, physicians performing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are able to diagnose the menopausal syndrome more accurately. Integrating menopausal symptoms with TCM constitutional theory will contribute to a more rapid diagnosis and treatment of menopausal syndrome.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Menopausal Symptoms with Different Constitutions in Climacteric Women

Chen

Hwang

2018

“…According to the clinical classification of diseases in TCM, manifest signs and symptoms may result from different dimensions of the body, i.e. internal organs, the meridian system or anatomic regions [1,3,17,[23][24][25][26] (fig. 1).…”

Section: Step 2: Generation Of Items and Wording Of Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The level of energy attenuation is different in every person, therefore, any health-strengthening strategy to replenish energy must be tailored to the individual status [12,13], thus representing a type of 'individualized medicine' [14]. Consequently, clinical trials in TCM frequently involve measuring an individual's level of Yang deficiency by the manifestations of Yang-Xu [10,[14][15][16][17]. To this end, four examinations, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BCQ+: A Body Constitution Questionnaire to Assess Yang-Xu

Su¹,

Chen²,

Lin³

et al. 2008

Introduction: Assessing an individual’s level of Yang deficiency (Yang-Xu) by its manifestations is a frequent issue in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical trials. To this end, an objective, reliable and rigorous diagnostic tool is required. This study aimed to develop a first final version of the Yang-Xu Constitution Questionnaire. Methods: We conducted 3 steps to develop such an objective measurement tool: 1) the research team was formed and a panel of 26 experts was selected for the Delphi process; 2) items for the questionnaire were generated by literature review and a Delphi process; items were reworded into colloquial questions; face and content validity of the items were evaluated through a Delphi process again; 3) the difficulty of the questionnaire was evaluated in a pilot study with 81 subjects aged 20–60 years. Results: The literature review retrieved 35 relevant items which matched the definition of ‘constitution’ and ‘Yang-Xu’. After a first Delphi process, 22 items were retained and translated into colloquial questions. According to the second part of the Delphi process, the content validity index of each of the 22 questions ranged between 0.85–1. These 22 questions were evaluated by 81 subjects, 2 questions that were hard to tell the difference were combined; 3 questions were modified after the research team had discussed the participants’ feedback. Finally, the questionnaire was established with 21 questions. Conclusions: This first final version of a questionnaire to assess Yang-Xu constitution with considerable face and content validity may serve as a basis to develop an advanced Yang-Xu questionnaire.

“…Since Yin and Yang work synergistically (e.g., the materials (Yin) are transported by the driving force (Yang) through the body), the 5 domains identified meet the descriptions of the function, transportation, and distribution of ‘Yang-qi’ and ‘Yin-blood’ recorded in the ancient TCM bible ‘Huangdi’s Internal Classic’ [18,19,20,21]. However, the 5 domains identified by the BCQ– are different from the structure adopted by most TCM doctors and contain sub-categories according to the functional status of the 5-viscera system [22,23 ]. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously collect data from various population groups to confirm the structural stability of the 5 BCQ– domains.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

BCQ–: A Body Constitution Questionnaire to Assess Yin-Xu

Lin¹,

Chen

Lin³

et al. 2012

Background: Based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory and guided by the principles of modern medicine (MM), we aimed to develop an effective and reliable diagnostic tool using self-reported data in order to assess the Yin-Xu body constitution. In this study, we further evaluated a provisional 22-item version of the Yin-Xu Body Constitution Questionnaire (BCQ–) previously derived from the Delphi process. Methods: A total of 1,272 eligible participants aged between 20 and 60 years was recruited. The participants had received health examination in teaching hospitals and had not shown any disease onset in the prior month. The factor structure of the BCQ– was explored, and the reliability and validity of each derived factor (scale) were evaluated. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed 5 factors corresponding to the manifestations of the diminishing Yin-Xu level in 5 different body areas: head, 4 limbs, gastrointestinal tract, body surface, and abdominal cavity. 3 items with low factor loading (<0.4) were dropped, resulting in a 19-item BCQ–. Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.57 to 0.85, and the intra-class correlation coefficients were greater than 0.7 for most items. The diagnoses of Yin-Xu by both the BCQ– and experienced TCM doctors were consistent. The concurrent validity showed that higher Yin-Xu scores were associated with lower hemoglobin. Conclusions: The final BCQ– measures the Yin-Xu constitution of 5 different body areas. The questionnaire is a reliable, valid, and potentially useful instrument for evaluating the Yin-Xu constitution in clinical research and practice.