Use of Chinese drugs in patients with metabolic syndrome in a German TCM hospital

Abstract

Background/objectives: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) drug treatment usually is given as prescription including multiple drugs. The prescription is highly individualized according to specific configurations of TCM syndromes. The analysis is to provide an overview of frequently or rarely used combinations of single drugs in a German TCM hospital, and how to compare such patterns in two clinical patient subgroups. Methods: Based on a sample of 2,129 in-patients (71% female, age 53.5±14.3 yrs) of the TCM hospital Bad Kötzting, Germany, the relative frequencies of 221 single drugs prescribed at the beginning of the treatment were analysed. Patients who fulfilled the criteria for Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) were compared with those patients who did not. Univariate and multivariate statistical models like logistic regression, factor and cluster analyses were applied. Results: Astragali radix was identified as the most frequently prescribed single drug in 47.1% of the patients. One prescription comprised 12 single drugs, on average. The frequency of use differed mostly in patients with or without MetS with respect to Chaenomelis fructus and Spatholobi caulisor (more frequent in MetS), and Bupleuri radix and Poria (less frequent in MetS). Angelicae pubescentis radix was prescribed more often in MetS while for Angelicae sinensis radix it was the opposite. Factor analysis indicated that some combinations of drugs exist which could be empirically confirmed in a subgroup analysis (two clusters of patients) with however, limited specificity regarding MetS. Conclusions: Use of multivariate analyses is essential when patterns of single drugs in TCM are to be explored. The results provide indications for different prescriptions in patients with MetS compared to those without. Dislosure: Author of abstracts, with publication of this abstract, hereby claims that is not a plagiarism and that it is not related with any commercial, propaganda or advertising purposes