OBJECTIVETo study on the Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome distribution of ulcerative colitis (UC) and the distribution of CM syndrome types at different staging periods.

METHODSFrom March 2007 to April 2010, 110 UC out- or inpatients at the Department of Digestive Diseases of Guangzhou Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were recruited. The patients' symptoms were calculated. The systematic clustering was used. The symptom was taken as the variable in the clustering. The syndrome types were confirmed according to the clustering results. The syndrome typing was performed and its results were analyzed.

RESULTSThere were 64 main symptoms in UC patients, including diarrhea, mushy stool, watery stool, abdominal pain, and bloody stool. Seventy cases belonged to the active period and 40 to the remission period. The UC syndrome types were sequenced from high to low as the dampness-heat of Dachang syndrome, Pi-Wei qi deficiency syndrome, Gan depression and Pi deficiency syndrome, Pi-Shen yang deficiency syndrome, blood stasis in the intestinal collaterals syndrome, yin and blood deficiency syndrome. There was statistical difference in the case number among different syndrome types (P < 0.05). In the active period, dominated were the dampness-heat of Dachang syndrome (28 cases, 25.5%), Gan depression and Pi deficiency syndrome (14 cases, 12.7%), and blood stasis in the intestinal collaterals syndrome (10 cases, 9.0%). In the remission period, dominated were Pi-Wei qi deficiency syndrome (18 cases, 16.4%) and Pi-Shen yang deficiency syndrome (10 cases, 9.0%), showing statistical difference (P<0.05). The typical symptoms of patients of the dampness-heat of Dachang syndrome were sequenced from high to low as yellow tongue fur (31 cases, 28.1%), tenesmus (26 cases, 23.6%), mucopurulent bloody stool (25 cases, 227%), diarrhea (24 cases, 21.8%), anal burning (24 cases, 21.8%), watery stool (21 cases, 19.0%), abdominal pain (19 cases, 17.2%), red tongue (19 cases, 17.2%), and greasy tongue fur (19 cases, 17.2%). The typical symptoms of patients of Pi-Wei qi deficiency syndrome were sequenced from high to low as tastelessness (25 cases, 22.7%), fine pulse (25 cases, 22.7%), pink tongue (22 cases, 20.0%), eructation (21 cases, 19.1%), hypodynamia (21 cases, 19.1%), loss of appetite (20 cases, 18.2%), and white tongue fur (20 cases, 18.2%). The typical symptoms of patients of Pi-Shen yang deficiency syndrome were sequenced from high to low as abdominal pain (17 cases, 15. 5%), preference for warmth (17 cases, 15. 5%), diarrhea (16 cases, 14.5%), aggravation while encountering cold (15 cases, 13.6%), white tongue fur (15 cases, 13.6%), pale white tongue (14 cases, 12.7%). The typical symptoms of patients of Gan depression and Pi deficiency syndrome were sequenced from high to low as emotions inducing (18 cases, 16.4%), eructation (16 cases, 14.5%), white tongue coating (16 cases, 14.5%), dry stool before loose stool (15 cases, 13.6%), frequent break wind (15 cases, 13.6%), and frequent sigh (15 cases, 13.6%). The typical symptoms of patients of blood stasis in the intestinal collaterals syndrome were sequenced from high to low as abdominal pain (12 cases, 10.9%), sting (12 cases, 10.9%), soreness of the waist (12 cases, 10.9%), dark red tongue with petechiae (12 cases, 10.9%), thick fur (12 cases, 10.9%). There was statistical difference in the symptom ratio among each syndrome types (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in other symptoms except yin and blood deficiency syndrome (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe dampness-heat of Dachang syndrome, Gan depression and Pi deficiency syndrome, and blood stasis in the intestinal collaterals syndrome were dominated in the UC active period. Pi-Wei qi deficiency syndrome and Pi-Shen yang deficiency syndrome were dominated in the remission period.