Pattern classification in traditional Chinese medicine and precision medicine: a narrative review

Objective: To supply an overview of Pattern Classification in TCM and the relationship with Precision Medicine. Background: Precision treatment is the core idea of Western medicine. According to the difference in diseases, physiology, physiques, and genes, doctors will apply different treatment protocols to achieve the best results. Pattern classification is a major methodological means of dialective treatment in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has a relationship with precision treatment according to the methods applied in the treatment. However, how to explain the material foundation for Traditional Chinese medicine remains scant. Methods: From the perspective of Traditional Chinese medicine, the treatment method given to patients with even a same disease is different, thereby achieving the best results. This article started from the cold pattern, hot pattern, deficiency pattern, blood stasis pattern, with modern agencies and drug metabolism, to explain the material foundation of pattern classification and treatment of drugs, and the consistency of the precision treatment concept both in traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine. Conclusion: The classification of patterns in TCM can provide western medicine with a broader scope and more precise choices in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, which can greatly help personalized medical treatment for patients and improve the efficacy of treatment. in corresponding with cold pattern, the common pathway of cold pattern and the of can be found. This is also one of the molecular biological mechanisms of “drug-pattern correspondence” of TCM in the treatment of diseases. A study identified the network-based gene expression biomarkers for cold pattern of RA (17) and may be applicable to further stratification of diseases for the decision on interventions or clinical trials. In another study,