Analysis of Regional Differences Between Northern and Southern China in Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Types and Medication Patterns for Androgenetic Alopecia Based on Data Mining
Abstract: Objective: To analyze the regional differences between northern and southern China in terms of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types and medication patterns for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) based on data mining. Methods:Relevant literature on AGA was retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure( CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang),China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP),and China Biology Medicine disc( CBM). Clinical studies related to AGA were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Information on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types, case numbers, prescriptions and medications, and geographic region distribution was extracted. Statistics of medication frequency, properties, flavors, meridian tropisms,and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types were performed. Association rule and cluster analyses were conducted on high-frequency medications. Results: A total of 136 articles were included, involving 14 842 cases, 98 oral prescriptions, and 153 distinct Chinese medicines. The core traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types of AGA were predominantly damp-heat syndrome and liver-kidney deficiency syndrome. Blood deficiency syndrome was more common in southern China,while blood-heat syndrome was more prevalent in northern China. The most frequently used Chinese medicines included Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Poria,and Alismatis Rhizoma,among others. The medicinal properties were mainly cold, warm, and neutral; the flavors were predominantly sweet, bitter, and pungent;and the meridian tropisms were mainly the liver,spleen,and kidney meridians. Cluster analysis identified three core Chinese medicine combinations. Association rule analysis showed that the core Chinese medicine pairs in northern China included Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Chuanxiong Rhizoma and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma-Polyporus,while those in southern China included Poria-Alismatis Rhizoma and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Crataegi Fructus. Conclusion:Significant regional patterns exist in traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types and medication for AGA. The treatment should be based on the general principle of "tonifying the liver and kidney, strengthening the spleen and draining dampness," while combined with regional strategies of "nourishing yin and blood in southern China" and "clearing blood heat in northern China, " thereby providing evidence-based support for the regionalized traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment.