Current Understanding of Retinitis Pigmentosa in Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.14.017
- VernacularTitle:视网膜色素变性的中西医认识
- Author:
Qing LI
1
;
Ying DENG
1
;
Li XIAO
1
;
Jing LU
1
;
Min AI
1
;
Yasha ZHOU
1
;
Yuhui QIN
1
;
Qinghua PENG
1
;
Yijing YANG
1
Author Information
1. Hunan University of Chinese Medicine，Changsha，410208
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
retinitis pigmentosa;
deficiency complicated by stasis;
the integration of TCM and western medicine
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2026;67(14):1567-1573
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
This paper has summarized current studies on retinitis pigmentosa （RP） from two perspectives， which were disease mechanism insights from western medicine， and etiology， pathogenesis and therapeutic principles in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. From the perspective of western medicine， the understanding of RP has evolved from an early single-factor explanation focusing on pathogenic gene mutations to a more comprehensive， multifactorial model involving genetic abnormalities， photoreceptor cell degeneration， retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction， oxidative stress， inflammatory responses， microenvironmental imbalance， and vascular insufficiency. In TCM， RP is considered to be a disorder manifested in the eyes but rooted in dysfunction of the zang-fu （脏腑） organs. Its pathogenesis is primarily associated with congenital insufficiency， liver-kidney depletion， impaired spleen function of transportation and transformation， and stasis obstructing the meridians. The core pathological mechanism can be summarized as "deficiency complicated by stasis"， emphasizing holistic imbalance， dynamic disease progression， and syndrome differentiation and treatment. The differences and complementarities between the two medical systems in understanding disease progression are further discussed. RP is proposed to be more appropriately regarded as a complex disease characterized by long-term progression， stage-dependent evolution， and persistent decompensation. Western medicine contributes to elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying RP and provides the foundation for targeted therapeutic interventions， whereas TCM offers a holistic perspective for understanding disease evolution through the assessment of overall functional status， disease-stage stratification， and long-term syndrome-based regulation.
