A Study of Syndrome Characteristic of Diabetic Nephropathy Stage 3 and 4 Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine

Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading causes of death among diabetic patients. Early detection is needed in order to decrease its severity and its progression. However, DN diagnostic guideline base on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the difference of syndrome characteristics between DN stage 3 and DN stage 4 based on TCM principle. A Retrospective study was conducted. People who went to Endocrinology department of the first affiliated hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine during April 2014 and December 2015 and were diagnosed to DN were recruited. A total number of subjects was 186. Secondary data were collected including anthropometric data, blood glucose levels, liver & kidney function indicators, and clinical symptoms. These data were subsequently statistical analysis. The noteworthy differences found between the subjects with DN stage 3 versus those with DN stage 4 were qi deficiency (57.9% vs. 41.5%, P=0.034) and yang deficiency (19.0% vs. 43.1%, P<0.001). In conclusion, this study suggested that qi deficiency was the outstanding syndrome of DN stage 3 and yang deficiency was a remarkable syndrome for DN stage 4.