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A Comparison for Constitutional Body Type between Korean and Chinese-Korean- Using Propensity Score Matching - Hoseok Kim, Younghwa Baek, Siwoo Lee, Jonghyang YooKorea Institute of Oriental MedicineObjectivesThe body shape was a key information for diagnosing the Sasang constitution (SC) in Sasang constitutional medicine. The aim of this study was to compare the body shapes and mainly focusing on the Korean and Chinese-KoreanMethods We calculated the propensity score for each SC type in males and females separately, and compared body shape including 8 circumference and 5 width between Korean and Chinese-Korean according to the sex and SC. ResultsKoreans have larger trunk and hip area compared to Chinese-Koreans, while Chinese-Koreans have larger abdomen compared with Koreans. Most variables were significantly different among SC types, for both Korean and Chinese-Korean. Especially, the Taeumin (TE) type has the largest body shape compared with the other SC types,it was similar between Korean and Chinese-Korean.ConclusionsThis study showed that the TE type has the largest body shape, followed by Soyangin (SY) and Soeumin (SE) in order, for both Korean and Chinese-Korean respectively. These results suggests that the body shape of Chinese-Koreanis similar with Korean based on SC type.Key Words

In the results, Taeumin group was diagnosed to have the highest number of constipation (p

Metabolic syndrome (MS), a representative cluster of chronic diseases, is defined by the presence of three or more of the following five elements: high blood glucose, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)cholesterol, high serum triglyceride levels, and abdominal obesity. Recently, innate factors have been continuously demonstrated as important risk factors for increasing the number of MS sub-elements. Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) is a traditional Korean medicine in which each Sasang constitution (SC) type has a different susceptibility to pathology and diseases. The aim of this study is to determine whether the SC could be an independent risk factor for single and multiple MS sub-elements.Twenty-four Korean medical clinics joined the study, and 3334 participants aged 20-80 years were recruited. Clinical data related to MS and general characteristics were obtained. The chi-square test and a one-way analysis of variance were conducted, and the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were generated through multinomial logistic regression according to the SC.The prevalence of single and multiple MS sub-elements was significantly different according to SC. The ORs of the Tae-Eumin (TE) type were significantly high for abdominal obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, and hypertension. The ORs for the So-Yangin type were also high in hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL cholesterol compared with the So-Eumin type, even after being adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, and eating habits. As the numbers of MS sub-elements increased, the ORs of the TE type also increased.This study showed that the SC types may be risk factors for not only single MS sub-elements but also multiple MS sub-elements and that the TE type's risk degree is associated with an increase in the number of MS sub-elements.

Aim. To investigate whether dyspepsia symptoms differ depending on the presence or absence of cold hypersensitivity in the hands and feet (CHHF).Methods. In all, 6044 patients were recruited and provided with a questionnaire about CHHF and dyspepsia. Based on their responses, subjects were divided into a CHHF group (persons who noted cold sensations;n=1209) and a non-CHHF group (persons who noted warm or intermediate sensations;n=1744). The groups were compared in terms of their usual digestion status, using chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses to calculate the propensity score and odds ratios (ORs). We analyzed the participants’ responses to questions on dyspepsia symptoms.Results. After matching, chi-square tests indicated that the CHHF group had higher frequencies of the following symptoms: bad digestion, poor appetite, discomfort in the upper abdomen, motion sickness, epigastric burning, postprandial fullness, nausea, and bloating. Additionally, CHHF was associated with an increased OR for dyspepsia (bad digestion, vomiting, motion sickness, epigastric burning, postprandial fullness, nausea, epigastric pain, and bloating) compared with the non-CHHF group.Conclusion. This study confirmed that CHHF patients have elevated frequencies of most dyspepsia symptoms.