"Combination of disease and syndrome" in the treatment and prevention of stroke: strategy and clinical research progress

Abstract

Stroke is one of the major diseases that critically threatens the life and health in China. Great progresses have been made in the prevention and treatment of stroke with the guidance of holism and syndrome differentiation principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In particular, since the 1980s, TCM scholars in cooperation with multidisciplinary teams have developed and continually optimized the diagnostic criteria for TCM syndromes of stroke, innovated the TCM pathogenesis theory of "poison damage to the cerebral collaterals", and created a series of prescriptions representing the treatment of resolving phlegm and relieving constipation, detoxifying and dredging the collaterals, promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, and tonifying Qi and promoting blood circulation, developed special regimens such as acupuncture, moxibustion, and TCM rehabilitation. These innovative advances have significantly improved the level of TCM treatment and prevention for stroke in China. We briefly summarized the understanding and evolution of the pathogenesis of stroke in TCM, systematically reviewed the research history and important progress of TCM for stroke. Moreover, we focused on evaluating the clinical evidence of TCM in different pathological stages and key aspects of stroke. Finally, we discussed the unsolved issues and unmet clinical needs in stroke care and provided insights into the future research direction of TCM in stroke prevention and treatment.

Keywords

• stroke
• combination of disease and syndrome
• traditional chinese medicine
• strategy for treatment and prevention
• research progress