Factor analysis on symptoms and signs of stroke based on traditional Korean Medicine theory

The purpose of this study was to classify factors of symptoms and signs, which is the same implication with items of factor, from patients with stroke based on the Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) theory by using factor analysis, and to find out the inter-relations between factors and patterns. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2905 patients with stroke in 11 Oriental Medicine hospitals of Korea. Outcome measures comprised patterns decided by TKM doctors considering 44 items and 44 items that were based on inspection, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation. Factor analysis was used as statistical method for classifying 44 items, and dominant pattern of the four patterns [Qi deficiency (QD), Fire-heat (FH), Yin deficiency (YD), Dampness-phlegm (DP)] for each factor was determined by Chi-square test. Thirty-three items belonged to some factors, but 11 items did not. 14 factors were extracted. Six factors which had a negative loading were separated, and distinguished using hyphen. The fourteen factors accounted for 9.42%, 6.97%, 5.75%, 4.22%, 4.15%, 3.82%, 3.32%, 3.14%, 2.95%, 2.65%, 2.62%, 2.47%, 2.37% and 2.29% of total variance respectively, and totally 56.14%. In conclusion, there are 10 factors which belong to exclusive pattern, and 9 factors which belong to inter-related pattern. It was statistically found out that there are inter-relation between DP and QD, between DP and FH, between FH and YD, and between YD and QD for stroke patients.