- A Modern Interpretation of Cold-Heat Pattern in Traditional Medicine with a Focus on Thermo-Regulation
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Younggwang Kim, Jee Young Lee, Joongho Lee, Sanghun Lee
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Perspect Integr Med. 2024;3(1):18-28. Published online February 22, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.56986/pim.2024.02.003
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 Graphical Abstract
 Abstract
 PDF Supplementary Material
 - Cold-heat patterns (C-HPs) in Traditional East Asian Medicine are essential for individually diagnosing and treating patients. However, the concept of C-HPs and their biological mechanisms (thermoregulation) remains unclear. C-HPs studies published between January 2000 and May 2023 were retrieved from 5 databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, OASIS, Korean studies Information Service System, and Research Information Sharing Service). Among the 8,373 articles screened, 132 were included in the review and categorized. Nineteen articles were clinical studies related to traditional concept of C-HP identification, 14 studies investigated diseases affecting thermosensation or thermoregulation, and 99 studies identified candidate genes as potential markers for C-HP identification. Further analysis, including gene ontology, and gene set enrichment analysis of the candidate genes, revealed 3 primary biological processes closely associated with thermoregulation-related genes, including localization, responses to stimuli, and homeostatic processes. Notably there was a significant association between the candidate genes and inflammatory mediator regulation of transient receptor potential channels (p < 0.001). A significant association between C-HPs and inflammation-related pathways across thermosensation-related and thermoregulation-related clinical and preclinical studies was observed, suggesting that the traditional concept of C-HPs should be studied further from an immunological perspective.
- An Overview of Clinical Features, and Medical Access Among Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndromes: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey in Korea
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Doori Kim, Ui Min Jerng, Jee Young Lee
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Perspect Integr Med. 2022;1(1):21-33. Published online September 22, 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.56986/pim.2022.09.005
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Abstract
PDFSupplementary Material
- Background
The objective of this study was to identify the clinical features of patients who recovered from COVID-19, and to determine their unmet medical needs and quality of life.
Methods
A cross-sectional national survey was conducted in Korea in June 2022, targeting patients with at least four weeks of symptoms of COVID-19. The questionnaire survey had 37 items across: basic characteristics, acute COVID-19 and post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (long COVID) symptoms, access to medical facilities for long COVID, unmet medical needs, long COVID support system, and quality of life.
Results
Among 1,430 responses, 745 (52.1%) respondents had experienced long COVID. The most common symptoms were ear, nose, and throat complications (n = 461, 61.9%), followed by weakness and fatigue (n = 393, 52.8%). Amongst the 745 respondents who experienced long COVID, 337 (45.2%) had visited a medical institution, of which, 84.9% had visited a clinic or hospital for treatment. Korean medicine clinics and hospitals had the highest satisfaction rates (43.4%). There were 242 respondents (32.5%) who reported unmet medical needs for their long COVID. Symptom severity and duration of COVID-19 were risk factors for unmet medical needs. Quality of life was low in those patients with long COVID and unmet medical needs, and decreased further with increased severity and longer duration of symptoms.
Conclusion
Studies on the effects of Korean medicine treatment of long COVID, and establishing a system providing sufficient treatment for patients with long COVID are needed. These findings could be used by clinicians, researchers, and COVID-19-related policymakers.
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