Distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution and Associated Factors of Yang-deficiency in Patients with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis in the Community

Abstract

Background Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) has an increasing incidence as aging advances. As the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution theory is of great significance in guiding PMOP prevention and treatment, studying the associated factors of yang-deficiency constitution, a common imbalanced constitution in PMOP patients, will contribute to the development of personalized treatment of PMOP. Objective To perform an analysis of the distribution of TCM constitution and associated factors of yang-deficiency constitution in PMOP patients in the community. Methods From November 2017 to July 2018, an interviewer-administered questionnaire survey for screening PMOP was conducted with a random sample of residents (45-80 years old) from 10 communities of Beijing's Chaoyang and Fengtai Districts. The general data collected include age, age at menopause, retirement status, types of job (mental, physical, or both) , educational level, monthly household income, height, weight, body mass index (BMI) , grip strength-weight index, history of fractures, history of falls, family history of osteoporosis, nighttime sleep duration, habits of eating leftovers, diet type (meat-based, plant-based, or meat-plant based) . TCM constitution was analyzed using the TCM Constitution Questionnaire. The associated factors of yang-deficiency constitution in PMOP cases were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression. Results Four hundred and thirty-two cases were found with PMOP, four of them were excluded due to missing data of TCM constitution, and the other 428 cases were finally included. The residents with gentleness constitution numbered the most (n=175) . Among residents with biased constitution, those with yang-deficiency constitution numbered the most (n=107) . Through multivariate Logistic regression analysis, it was found that BMI<18.5 kg/m2, frequently eating leftovers, and meat-based diet were associated with increased risk of PMOP in yang-deficiency residents (P<0.05) . Conclusion This cross-sectional survey indicates that yang-deficiency constitution may be highly prevalent in PMOP residents, and was associated with BMI<18.5 kg/m2 often eating leftovers, and meat-based diet.

Keywords

• osteoporosis, postmenopausal|constitutional type (tcm)|yang-deficient constitution|balanced constitution|root cause analysis|cross-sectional studies|community