A Clinical Study on the Relationship between Pattern Identifications for Patients with Functional Dyspepsia and Tongue Features

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between patterns determined by pattern identification of functional dyspepsia (FD) and tongue features, including tongue coating and tooth marks, in FD patients.Methods: We reviewed the clinical records of 68 FD patients who visited the Department of Digestive Diseases of Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021. The subjects were evaluated with a computerized tongue image acquisition system (CTIS) and by pattern identification of FD. Measurement included the percentage of tongue coating, tooth mark levels, and pattern scores.Results: Statistically significant negative correlations were noted between the scores of the pattern of ‘spleen and stomach deficiency and cold' (SSDC) and the percentage of tongue coating in whole, center, and root of the tongue body. However, no other patterns were correlated with any parameter measured by CTIS. No significant difference was noted in the percentage of tongue coating and the tooth mark level between the patterns.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the pattern of SSDC was significantly associated with the percentage of tongue coating. We suggest that the percentage of tongue coating could be a useful indicator for identifying the degree of patterning of SSDC in patients with FD.