Behçet’s disease (BD), also known as Behçet disease or the oral-ocular-genital triad, is a chronic systemic inflammatory vasculitis. It is characterized primarily by recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers, eye inflammation, and skin lesions. It may also affect the blood vessels, nervous system, digestive tract, joints, lungs, kidneys, epididymis, and other organs. Most patients have a…
Atrioventricular (AV) block is an arrhythmia in which the electrical impulse from the atria is delayed or fails to reach the ventricles. Conduction disturbances at any point along the AV conduction pathway (within the atria, AV node, bundle of His and bundle branches, or Purkinje system) can cause AV block. It is classified as first-degree,…
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a syndrome characterized by muscle pain in the neck, shoulder girdle, and pelvic girdle, morning stiffness, and systemic features such as fever and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference References
Scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease of unclear cause, characterized clinically by localized or diffuse skin thickening and fibrosis. It can affect internal organs, including the heart, lungs, digestive tract, and kidneys. Systemic scleroderma is also called systemic sclerosis. TCM Pattern Identification and Medication Reference References
Inflammatory myopathies are a heterogeneous group of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases characterized primarily by involvement of the proximal muscles of the limbs, with symmetric muscle weakness as a prominent feature. Other organs are often affected at the same time. Polymyositis and dermatomyositis are the most common forms. TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference References
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a diffuse connective tissue disease mediated by autoimmunity, with immune-mediated inflammation as a prominent feature. Its clinical manifestations are diverse, and the disease often alternates between remission and exacerbation. The presence in serum of various autoantibodies, including antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and involvement of multiple organ systems are key clinical features…
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that primarily affects the exocrine glands. Clinically, damage to the salivary and lacrimal glands and reduced function lead to dry mouth and dry eyes. In addition, other exocrine glands and organs outside the glands may be affected, resulting in multisystem involvement, including the lungs, kidneys, digestive system,…
Rheumatoid arthritis is a common autoimmune disease whose main clinical presentation is symmetrical polyarthritis. It is characterized by chronic inflammation of the joint synovium and progressive joint damage. Its primary pathological changes are chronic synovitis and pannus formation, which can erode cartilage and bone and lead to joint destruction. TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference…
Cardiac neurosis, also known as cardiac neurotic disorder, is a neurosis characterized primarily by cardiac discomfort. Its clinical features include cardiovascular symptoms occurring alongside nervous system dysfunction, with no clinical evidence of organic heart disease causally related to the symptoms or of another physical illness affecting the heart. Patients often also have significant psychological difficulties,…
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a type of cardiomyopathy characterized by enlargement of the left or both ventricles accompanied by systolic dysfunction. It is often associated with heart failure and arrhythmias and has a very high mortality rate. It is characterized by myocardial degeneration, necrosis, and fibrosis, leading to impaired systolic pumping function, cardiac enlargement, and congestive…
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a common and particularly important type of vascular disease among the group known as arteriosclerosis. The various forms of arteriosclerosis share the features of thickened, hardened arterial walls, loss of elasticity, and narrowing of the lumen. AS is characterized by lesions that begin in the arterial intima, with successive accumulation of lipids…
Pulmonary heart disease is a condition caused by disorders of the bronchi, lung tissue, thorax, or pulmonary vessels that increase pulmonary vascular resistance, resulting in pulmonary hypertension and subsequent structural and/or functional changes in the right ventricle, potentially leading to right heart failure. It is classified as acute or chronic according to the speed of…
Viral myocarditis is inflammation of the myocardium, characterized primarily by nonspecific focal or diffuse inflammatory lesions and caused by infection with viruses that have an affinity for the myocardium. It is the most common type of infectious myocarditis. Mild cases may involve focal lesions and cause no symptoms; severe cases may lead to arrhythmias, heart…
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease in which bone strength declines for various reasons, increasing bone fragility and significantly raising the risk of fracture. It is a common systemic disease with a gradual onset and a prolonged course. It is more common in middle-aged and older adults and in postmenopausal women. Bone mineral density and bone…
