Study On The Dialectical Classification And Treatment Of Damp-heat Syndrome In Malaysia With Febrile Diseases Theory As Guidance

Objective:To explore the distribution and characteristics of Damp-Heat Syndromes(DHS) in Malaysia through theoretical literature research and clinical investigation, so as to provide a basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) diagnosis of DHS in Malaysia.Methods:Theoretical literature research: Review of the ancient TCM literatures and the modern medical research papers on DHS, to study its theory origin, pathogenesis, pathological nature, diagnosis, treatment as well as its development in the modern medicine researches.Clinical research: With reference to the basis of TCM dialectical theory, questionnaire on the TCM diagnostic criteria of DHS was generated, to survey the DHS dialectical classifications in Malaysia and observe the patient’s DHS severity level.Results:A total of 62 DHS cases, dialectically divided into pulmonary DHS(30.6%), spleen and stomach related DHS(35.5%), liver and gallbladder related DHS(9.7%), kidney related DHS(8.1%), intestinal DHS(8.1%) and dengue fever syndrome(8.1%). The average age of the patients is(42.79 ± 13.11), with majority young people(18-44 years old) and middle-aged people(45-59 years old). The proportion of male and female patients was 0.94: 1.00.The investigation results shown that all DHS patients had different degree of greasy coated tongue, and ‘white / yellow thick greasy coated tongue’ is mostly appeared among all. Most of the patients experienced slight cold, mild to moderate thirst, mild to moderate chest tightness symptoms, mild to moderate stomach distension symptoms, mild to moderate colon distension symptoms, and their tongue were red or crimson. High fever(> 38.5 ℃) is more common in patients with dengue fever and pulmonary DHS. Intestinal DHS patients had shown the most serious loose stools symptoms, whereas the dengue fever patients had minor symptom of loose stools. All liver and gallbladder related DHS patients had bitter taste in their mouth, while this symptom only appeared lightly or even not happened in other DHS classifications. The pulse condition observed on DHS patients was mostly soft-slow, soft-rapid, slippery-rapid and wiry-rapid.Conclusion:The common dialectical classifications of DHS in Malaysia including pulmonary DHS, spleen and stomach related DHS, liver and gallbladder related DHS, kidney related DHS, intestinal DHS and dengue fever syndrome, but the most common type are spleen and stomach related DHS and also the pulmonary DHS. All DHS patients shown greasy coated tongue in different degrees, while the appearance of other symptoms is depending on the position where damp-heat evil stagnated, predominance of damp and heat, as well as the severity of DHS condition.