Retrospective Study on Tongue Image Characteristics of Patients with Glucolipid Metabolism Disorders with Different Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2025.08.012
- VernacularTitle:糖脂代谢病及其不同证型患者舌象特征的回顾性研究
- Author:
Shi LIU
1
;
Yang GAO
2
;
Tao JIANG
1
;
Zhanhong CHEN
1
;
Jialin DENG
1
;
Jiatuo XU
1
Author Information
1. School of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Shanghai,201203
2. Shanghai Baoshan District Dachang Town Qilian Community Health Service Center
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
glucolipid metabolic disorders;
tongue diagnosis;
tongue image;
liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome;
phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome;
qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2025;66(8):826-833
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo explore the distribution pattern of tongue image characteristics in patients with glucolipid metabolic disorders and its main syndromes. MethodsA total of 841 patients with glucolipid metabolic disorders (disease group), and 380 healthy subjects (control group) were included. The disease group was classified into three syndrome types: 283 cases of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome, 311 cases of phlegm-dampness obstruction syndrome, and 247 cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. Tongue image data were collected using the TFDA-1 Tongue Diagnosis Instrument, and the TDAS V3.0 software was used to analyze the color, texture, and morphological features of the tongue body (TB) and tongue coating (TC) in patents with different syndromes of disease group (including lightness (L), red-green axis (a), yellow-blue axis (b), luminance (Y), difference between red signal and brightness (Cr), difference between blue signal and brightness (Cb), contrast (CON), angular second moment (ASM), entropy (ENT), mean value (MEAN), tongue coating area/tongue surface area (perAll), and tongue coating area/non-coated area (perPart)). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify influencing factors for different syndrome types of glucolipid metabolic disorders. ResultsThe tongue body indicators TB-L, TB-Y, and TB-Cb in the disease group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while TB-a, TB-b, and TB-Cr were significantly lower. The tongue coating indicators TC-L, TC-Y, TC-Cb, perAll, and perPart in the disease group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while TC-a, TC-b, and TC-Cr were significantly lower (P<0.05). Comparing with the different syndromes in disease group, the TB-L and TB-Y of the liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome, and the phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome were higher than those of the qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome; the TB-a and TB-Cr of the phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome were lower than those of the qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome; the perAll of the phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome was higher than that of the qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome (P<0.05). In the analysis of the morphological characteristics of tongue signs, more spotted tongue in disease group compared with control group, more teeth-marked tongue in liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome than the other two syndromes, more greasy coating in phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome, and more stasis spots of tongue in qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis identified that greasy coating, spotted tongue, stasis spots of tongue, tooth-marked tongue, perAll, and TB-Cb are the influencing factors of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome; greasy coating, tooth-marked tongue, TC-Cb, and TC-Cr are the influencing factors of phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome; cracked tongue, stasis spots of tongue, tooth-marked tongue, and TB-Y are the influencing factors of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome (P<0.05). ConclusionCompared to healthy individuals, patients with glycolipid metabolic disorder have darker tongue color and thicker, greasy tongue coating. Glycolipid metabolic disorder patients of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome exhibit a reddish tongue with finer textures and more tooth marks; patients of phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome have lighter tongue coating with a coarser texture and a higher prevalence of greasy coating; patients of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome display lower tongue brightness with a higher prevalence of blood stasis spots.