Zangfu zheng (patterns) are associated with clinical manifestations of zang shang (target-organ damage) in arterial hypertension

2011

Zangfu Patterns and Target-Organ Damage in Hypertension

Sample size: 43 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Luiz Alexandre Bastos, Cordovil Ivan, Filho José Barbosa, Ferreira Arthur Sá

Primary Institution: National Institute of Cardiology, Brazil

Hypothesis

Patterns are associated with target-organ damage as manifestations indicate morbid conditions secondary to hypertension rather than simple blood pressure.

Conclusion

Zangfu patterns are associated with clinical manifestations of target-organ damage.

Supporting Evidence

The observed diagnostic accuracy was 98.0%, with sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 99.8%.
Twelve manifestations showed high prevalence, including red tongue (81.4%) and headache (72.1%).
Patterns were strongly or moderately associated with target-organ damage.

Takeaway

This study found that certain patterns in traditional Chinese medicine are linked to health problems caused by high blood pressure.

Methodology

A questionnaire was developed and applied to 43 subjects newly diagnosed with hypertension to analyze the association between Zangfu patterns and target-organ damage.