Study On The Characteristics Of TCM Constitution And Its Influencing Factors In Patients With Post-infectious Cough

Objective:In this study,we investigated the distribution of constitution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)in patients with post-infection cough(PIC)through a questionnaire survey and the determination of TCM body types to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of post-infection cough.Methods:Patients with PIC who attended the outpatient clinic of Fuzhou Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 and met the diagnostic criteria were selected,and the patients’TCM constitution composition classification and determination form was collected by questionnaire for TCM constitution composition assessment,and a self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the relevant influencing factors,by applying Fisher exact test,chi-square test,Kruskal-Wallis H-test and binary logistic regression analysis were applied to analyse the distribution characteristics of post-infection cough patients and the relationship with the influencing factors.Results:1.A total of 184 patients with PIC were included in this study,106(approximately 57.6%of the total)were male and 78(approximately 42.4%of the total)were female,and PIC patients in this study were predominantly male.The mean duration of cough disease was 4.68±1.301weeks and the mean age was 49.12±14.385 years,mainly concentrated in the age group of 45-59 years.2.Among the 184 PIC patients,there were 7 cases(3.8%)of calm constitution and 177cases(96.2%)of biased constitution.The biased constitution types were predominantly yang-deficiency constitution(28.3%),phlegm-dampness constitution(21.2%),qi-deficiency constitution(17.4%),followed by damp-heat constitution(10.9%),yin-deficiency constitution(6.5%),qi-stagnation constitution(6.0%),blood stasis constitution(4.3%),and special endowment constitution(1.6%).3.The results of the univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences(P<0.05)between the PIC TCM body composition distribution and age,occupational work style,body mass index(BMI),season of onset,duration of cough,fever in the acute phase of respiratory infection,use of antibiotics in the acute phase of respiratory infection,comorbid chronic diseases,history of smoking,history of alcohol consumption,exercise habits,and work and rest patterns;no significant differences(P≥0.05)were found between PIC TCM body distribution and gender,use of antipyretic analgesics in the acute phase of respiratory infection,use of antihistamines in the acute phase of respiratory infection,use of cough/sputum suppressants in the acute phase of respiratory infection,and dietary taste preference.3.Logistic regression analysis showed that:(1)using non-yang-deficiency constitution as a control:compared to age 18-44 years,age 60-80 years was positively associated with yang-deficiency constitution(OR=5.408,95%CI 1.757～16.649);compared to cough duration 3-5weeks,cough duration 6-8 weeks was positively associated with yang-deficiency constitution(OR=2.13,95%CI 1.014～4.473);the use of antibiotics during the acute phase of respiratory tract infection was positively associated with yang-deficiency constitution compared to no antibiotics during the acute phase of respiratory tract infection(OR=5.059,95%CI1.463～17.497);(2)using non-phlegm-dampness constitution as control:BMI≥24 kg/m~2was positively associated with phlegm-dampness constitution compared to BMI<24 kg/m~2(OR=2.664,95%CI 1.193～5.95);having a history of alcohol consumption was positively associated with phlegm-dampness constitution compared to no history of alcohol consumption(OR=2.728,95%CI 1.26～5.906);having comorbid chronic diseases was positively associated with phlegm-dampness constitution compared to no comorbid chronic disease(OR=2.829,95%CI 1.319～6.067);(3)using non-qi-deficiency constitution as a control:physical work was positively associated with qi-deficiency constitution compared to physical and mental equivalent(OR=2.588,95%CI 1.018～6.581);cough duration of 6-8 weeks was positively associated with qi-deficiency constitution compared to cough duration of 3-5 weeks(OR=2.656,95%CI 1.192～5.922).Conclusion:1.The TCM constitution of PIC in Fuzhou is mainly biased,with the most common types of biased constitution being yang-deficiency constitution,phlegm-dampness constitution and qi-deficiency constitution,and other biased constitution constitutions are less common.2.The TCM body composition distribution of PIC patients is to some extent related to age,nature of occupational labour,BMI,season of onset,duration of cough,fever in the acute phase of respiratory infection,use of antibiotics in the acute phase of respiratory infection,co-morbid chronic diseases,history of alcohol consumption,history of smoking,exercise habits and work and rest patterns.3.Patients with PIC who are elderly,have a longer duration of cough,or have used antibiotics during the acute phase of respiratory infection are prone to yang-deficiency constitution.PIC patients with a high BMI,a history of alcohol consumption and co-morbid chronic diseases are prone to phlegm-dampness constitution.PIC patients with a long duration of cough and a predominantly manual occupation are prone to qi-deficiency constitution.