Investigation of traditional Chinese medicine constitution in individuals afflicted by dry eye disease: A retrospective study.

The aim of this study is to explore the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution among individuals suffering from dry eye disease. Following the diagnostic criteria outlined in TFO DEWS II, a total of 114 patients with dry eye were included in this study. Based on the classification criteria for dry eye, the patients were categorized into 3 distinct dry eye subtypes. Each participant underwent a thorough clinical assessment for dry eye, and their TCM pattern manifestations were assessed using the "Traditional Chinese Medicine Questionnaire for Dry Eye." The Nine Constitutions Assessment Method was utilized for TCM pattern differentiation and classification. Spearman's correlation analysis was employed to investigate the associations between TCM constitution and dry eye subtypes, clinical indicators, and the relationships between TCM syndromes and dry eye subtypes. Among the 114 patients, the Qi-Stagnation constitution was the most common, with variations in constitution distribution among different dry eye subtypes. Significant correlations were observed between the Blood-Stasis, Yin-Deficiency, Qi-Deficiency, and Yang-Deficiency constitutions and 2, 4, 1, and 4 dry eye indicators, respectively. Spearman's analysis revealed that 5 out of 50 TCM syndromes were associated with mixed dry eye, 5 with evaporative dry eye, and 3 with aqueous tear deficiency dry eye. Further analysis, using lasso regression and binary unconditional logistic regression identified dizziness, lumbago, and weakness as influencing factors for both mixed-type and evaporative-type dry eye. In this study, we extensively examined the TCM constitution in individuals with dry eye, offering valuable insights and guiding future TCM-related research in the context of dry eye. Additionally, we established correlations between TCM syndrome patterns and dry eye indicators.