Positive Health Online

Abstract

LIN and COLLEAGUES, 1 Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Rd. North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan; 2 Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan; 3 Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan; 4 College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan; 5 Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Rd. North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan. hungrongyen@gmail.com ; 6 Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan. hungrongyen@gmail.com ; 7 Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan. hungrongyen@gmail.com ;8 Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung, 41354, Taiwan. hungrongyen@gmail.com 9 Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan. hungrongyen@gmail.com ; 10 Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, 91 Hsueh-Shih Rd. North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan. yangst@mail.cmu.edu.tw ; 11 Department of Radiology, China Medical University Hospital, 2 Yude Rd, North District, Taichung, 404, Taiwan. yangst@mail.cmu.edu.tw  investigated the application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in patients with dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) in Taiwan.

Background

Many patients with gynaecological disorders seek traditional medicine consultations in Asian countries. This study intended to investigate the utilization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in patients with dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) in Taiwan.

Methodology

We analyzed a cohort of one million individuals randomly selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. We included 46,337 subjects with newly diagnosed DUB (ICD-9-CM codes 626.8) from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2010. The patients were categorized into TCM seekers and non-TCM seekers according to their use of TCM.

Results

Among the subjects, 41,558 (89.69%) were TCM seekers and 4,779 (10.31%) were non-TCM seekers. Patients who were younger tended to be TCM seekers. Most of the patients had also taken Western medicine, especially tranexamic acid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). More than half of TCM seekers (55.41%) received combined treatment with both Chinese herbal remedies and acupuncture. The most commonly used TCM formula and single herb were Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (Bupleurum and Peony Formula) and Yi-Mu-Cao (Herba Leonuri), respectively. The core pattern of Chinese herbal medicine for DUB patients consisted of Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, Xiang-Fu (Rhizoma Cyperi), and Yi-Mu-Cao (Herba Leonuri).

Conclusion

TCM use is popular among patients with DUB in Taiwan. Further pharmacological investigations and clinical trials are required to validate the efficacy and safety of these items. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of China Medical University and Hospital (CMUH104-REC2–115) and also the National Health Research Institute, the data holder of the NHI database. The patient consent was exempted for the total anonymity of all research data in this study.

References

Yi-Rong Lin  1 , Mei-Yao Wu  2 , Jen-Huai Chiang  3   4 , Hung-Rong Yen  5   6   7   8   9 , Su-Tso Yang  10   11. The utilization of traditional Chinese medicine in patients with dysfunctional uterine bleeding in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study. BMC Complement Altern Med.  ;17(1):427. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1939-1. Aug 29 2017.