Complex networks approach for analyzing the correlation of traditional chinese medicine syndrome evolvement and cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary heart disease

Abstract

This is a multicenter prospective cohort study to analyze the correlation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome evolvement and cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD). The impact of syndrome evolvement on cardiovascular events during the 6-month and 12-month follow-up was analyzed using complex networks approach. Results of verification using Chi-square test showed that the occurrence of cardiovascular events was positively correlated with syndrome evolvement when it evolved from toxic syndrome to Qi deficiency, blood stasis, or sustained toxic syndrome, when it evolved from Qi deficiency to blood stasis, toxic syndrome, or sustained Qi deficiency, and when it evolved from blood stasis to Qi deficiency. Blood stasis, Qi deficiency, and toxic syndrome are important syndrome factors for stable CHD. There are positive correlations between cardiovascular events and syndrome evolution from toxic syndrome to Qi deficiency or blood stasis, from Qi deficiency to blood stasis, or toxic syndrome and from blood stasis to Qi deficiency. These results indicate that stable CHD patients with pathogenesis of toxin consuming Qi, toxin leading to blood stasis, and mutual transformation of Qi deficiency and blood stasis are prone to recurrent cardiovascular events.

Figure 1

Wiring diagrams for the complex networks obtained from clinical data of recurrent cardiovascular events (node degree = 0). Notes: Blood_stasis_baseline represents blood stasis at the baseline and Blood_stasis_6_month represents blood stasis at the 6-month follow-up (the same as in Figure 2). In the network, the nodes of the link present the corresponding syndrome, the links present that at least one patient suffers the syndrome, and the weight of the links equals the number of patients. For example, the weight of link between Blood_stasis_baseline and Qi_deficiency_6_month was 26, which represents the fact that 26 of 30 cases with blood stasis at the baseline transformed to Qi deficiency at the 6-month follow-up.

Figure 2

Wiring diagrams for the complex networks obtained from clinical data of recurrent cardiovascular events (node degree = 17).