Identifying Chinese Medicine Patterns of Tension-Type Headache and Understanding Its Subgroups

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Neurology
• Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background:

• Tension-type headache (TTH) is a prevalent condition in adults.
• Current individualized management is limited by a lack of understanding of TTH subtypes.
• Chinese medicine (CM) offers a pattern differentiation approach for subtyping, but evidence for TTH patterns is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify common Chinese medicine (CM) patterns associated with tension-type headache (TTH).
• To provide evidence-based information on CM patterns for TTH to guide clinical practice and research.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 170 TTH sufferers using the Chinese Medicine Headache Questionnaire (CMHQ), Migraine Disability Assessment Test, and Perceived Stress Scale.
• Principal component analysis for factor extraction and TwoStep cluster analyses for cluster identification.
• ANOVA was used to compare cluster groups regarding disability and stress levels.

Main Results:

• Four distinct clusters were identified, corresponding to three CM patterns: ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang, dual qi and blood deficiency, and liver depression forming fire.
• Common TTH features included continuous pain, fixed location, and aggravation by overwork, stress, or mental strain.
• Non-pain symptoms frequently reported were fatigue and neck stiffness. Different patterns correlated with episodic, chronic, or infrequent TTH and varied disability and stress levels.

Conclusions:

• Three common Chinese medicine (CM) patterns were identified in tension-type headache (TTH) sufferers.
• These findings enhance the understanding of TTH subtypes.
• The identified patterns can guide the development of targeted CM interventions for TTH management.