Clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine constitution theory in diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis B / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution theory is an important means to reveal the host′s genetic characteristics from the perspective of TCM. The types of constitution can influence liver pathological changes and the prognosis of disease in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, and to a certain degree, they are associated with the polymorphisms of genes involved in immunoregulation, for example, human leukocyte antigen(HLA) class Ⅱ gene. Yin-deficiency constitution is associated with various adverse clinical outcomes, as well as the genotypes of genes including HLA-DQA1*0501. Preliminary data also show that the chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with yin-deficiency constitution have a poor response to interferon therapy. This article reviews the current application of TCM constitution theory in the diagnosis and treatment of CHB, its potential value, and existing problems.