Screening influencing factors of blood stasis constitution in traditional Chinese medicine

Abstract

Objective

To study the influencing factors of blood stasis constitution and provide a basis for treating blood stasis-related diseases by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution identification.

Methods

Data were collected using the self-developed TCM constitution identification platform based on B/S model by the project team. The obtained data were divided into blood stasis constitution and normal constitution groups. The differences of the categorical type influencing factors (gender, birth mode, feeding mode within four months of birth, family history, marital status, eating habits, sleeping habits, exercise habits, emotional state, stress situation, and living environment) and the quantitative type influencing factors (sleep time, age, and mother's age at birth) on the constitution of the two groups were analyzed. In the single-factor analysis, the Pearson's chi-square test was selected for the categorical variable, and the independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test were selected for the quantitative variables according to whether they conformed to the positive-terrestrial distribution; the binary logistic stepwise regression method was selected for the multi-factor analysis.

Results

The data of 318 cases were collected from the TCM composition identification platform, and 159 cases of blood stasis constitution were used as the experimental group and 159 cases of normal constitution were used as the control group. The Pearson's chi-square test yielded significant differences (P < 0.05) in the effects of gender, pressure situation, family history, living environment, emotional state, exercise habits, and dietary habits on blood stasis constitution. The independent samples t test yielded differences in sleep duration between the blood stasis constitution and normal constitution populations (P < 0.05), which meant sleep duration of the blood stasis constitution population was less than that of the normal constitution population. The Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test results accepted the original hypothesis that there was no difference in the distribution of age and mother’s age at birth across constitution types (P > 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that gender, family history, marital status, living environment, exercise habits, and emotional state were risk factors for blood stasis constitution (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Gender, family history, living environment, emotional state, and exercise habits were significant influencing factors of blood stasis constitution. Blood stasis constitution populations can pay more attention to these influencing factors in their daily life for the prevention and reconciliation of blood stasis constitution.