Methods: A cross-sectional correlation study design was used with purposive sampling. Study subjects were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the department of dermatology of a medical center from the central region, and a total of 158 patients were enrolled after they signed informed consent forms. A structured questionnaire involving traditional Chinese medicine Body Constitution Questionnaire (BCQ), questionnaire of five emotions, and questionnaire for body constitution-related factors (including individual’s basic attributes, lifestyle, and disease factors) was administered. Published and authorized questionnaires were used for the BCQ and questionnaire of five emotions. The Cronbach’s alpha values for Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Stasis body constitutions from the BCQ were 0.861, 0.846, and 0.855, respectively, and those for anger, happiness, thoughtfulness, sorrow, and fear from the questionnaire of five emotions were 0.816, 0.767, 0.762, 0.846, and 0.781, respectively. The questionnaire for body constitution-related factors was self-designed, and each question’s content validity index (CVI) was between 0.8 and 1. The questionnaires were completed by the patients and collected in the outpatient waiting room.
Results: The average age of the 158 psoriasis patients who completed the questionnaires was 44.06 years (SD=13.79). Average total scores for Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Stasis body constitutions in these psoriasis patients were 31.63 (SD=8.77；rang=19-95), 33.11(SD=8.904；rang=19-65), and 27.70 (SD=8.04；rang=16-80), respectively. The percentages of subjects with Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Stasis body constitutions were 45.6% (n=72), 58.2% (n=92), and 50.6% (n=80), respectively. The multiple linear regression analysis (stepwise model) demonstrated that factors that affect Yang-Xu body constitution in these patients included the emotions of anger, thinking, and fear as well as the preference for sweets and the duration of oral MTX (p<0.1; R2=0.458); the factors that affect Yin-Xu body constitution in these patients included the emotions of anger and thinking as well as the preference for grilled, fried, and spicy food (p<0.1; R2=0.358); and the factors that affect Stasis body constitution in these patients included the emotions of anger and sadness (p<0.1; R2=0.406).
Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of Yin-Xu and Stasis body constitutions in psoriasis patients is slightly high, and that emotions, diet, and medication use are factors related to the deviation in body constitution. According to the result, medical staff can provide suitable Chinese medicine care for psoriasis patients.