Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• The predominant TCM syndrome type in children with cerebral palsy is liver-kidney deficiency. • External therapy is the most frequently used intervention, while oral medications mainly consist of liver-kidney tonifying herbs. • The drug pairs Shudi-Fuling and Shanyao-Fuling show high support and confidence, indicating strong associations. • Most TCM drugs used are warm in nature, sweet in flavor, and attributed to liver and kidney meridians, with non-toxic profiles.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine has used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat children with cerebral palsy (CP) for over 20 years, but no analysis of medication patterns has been conducted. OBJECTIVE: To analyze TCM syndrome types and explore medication patterns for CP in children based on medical records and literature. METHODS: An evidence-based retrieval strategy was used to search and manage literature and medical records on TCM treatment for CP in children. Bibliometric methods were applied to mine and analyze data characteristics. VOSviewer software was used to create visual knowledge maps. IBM SPSS Modeler software was used for association rule analysis of TCM drugs. Radar chart method was used to analyze the four natures and five flavors of drugs. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 503 medical records and 90 articles were included. Syndrome analysis showed that the main TCM syndrome type of CP in children was liver-kidney deficiency. Intervention analysis showed that external therapy was most frequently used, and among oral medications, drugs for nourishing liver and kidney were most common. Medication pattern analysis showed that among the top 20 drugs by frequency in both medical records and literature, 12 (60%) were the same. The drug pairs Shanyao (Rhizoma Dioscoreae) and Fuling (Poria), and Shudi (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata) and Fuling (Poria) had high support and confidence above 82.50%, indicating significant association. Among all TCM drugs for CP in children, the nature was mainly warm, followed by neutral and cold; the flavor was mainly sweet, followed by bitter and pungent; the meridian tropism was mainly liver and kidney meridians, followed by spleen, heart, and lung meridians. Most drugs in these formulas were non-toxic. The results indicate that CP in children is mainly characterized by liver-kidney deficiency, and the formulas used in clinical practice and related clinical research are mostly for nourishing liver and kidney, among which Liuwei Dihuang Pill and its derivative formulas appear most frequently. The drug pairs with the highest frequency and reliability are Shudi and Fuling, and Shanyao and Fuling. The nature and flavor of drugs are mainly warm, sweet, and attributed to liver and kidney meridians.
1. Introduction
Cerebral palsy (CP) in children is a group of persistent central motor and postural development disorders, mainly characterized by continuous motor dysfunction of the limbs, often accompanied by sensory, perceptual, cognitive, communication, behavioral disorders, as well as epilepsy and secondary muscle atrophy, skeletal deformities, etc. [1-5]. The prevalence of CP in children is 1.4%-3.2%. Once affected, it lasts for life and is basically incurable, and many children cannot live independently [2,4].
Clinical treatment for CP in children often focuses on specific symptoms, mainly using external therapies, including modern rehabilitation methods such as motor therapy, speech therapy, physical factor therapy, and TCM characteristic rehabilitation therapies such as acupuncture and tuina, as well as selective posterior rhizotomy and one/two-stage orthopedic surgery combined with rehabilitation training, while drug intervention is relatively rare [6-9]. TCM believes that the disease is located in the brain but closely related to the liver, spleen, kidney and other viscera. The etiology includes congenital insufficiency, insufficient marrow and brain, weak viscera qi, and malnutrition of muscles and bones; acquired malnourishment, no source of qi and blood, damage to the brain marrow, promoting the onset of CP in children. The main syndrome types include liver-kidney deficiency, heart-spleen deficiency, phlegm-stasis obstruction, spleen deficiency with liver hyperactivity, and spleen-kidney weakness [6], classified into categories such as 'wei syndrome', 'five retardations', 'five flaccidities', and 'five stiffnesses'. Therefore, tonification is one of the main treatment principles for CP in children with TCM, and different formulas are usually given according to different syndrome types.
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Zou Yuxiong, Liu Ying, Liu Xiaomeng, Gu Nan, Zhu Yue, Zhu Jintai, Li Shuming, Ao Meiying, Liu Qian, He Yuan (2026). Medication patterns for traditional Chinese medicine in children with cerebral palsy: an analysis based on medical records and literature. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research. https://doi.org/10.12307/2026.21505
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the common TCM syndrome types in children with cerebral palsy?
The study found that the main TCM syndrome type is liver-kidney deficiency, with other types including heart-spleen deficiency, phlegm-stasis obstruction, spleen deficiency with liver hyperactivity, and spleen-kidney weakness.
What are the most frequently used TCM interventions for children with cerebral palsy?
External therapies are the most frequently used interventions, while oral medications mainly consist of liver-kidney tonifying herbs.
Which drug pairs show the strongest association in treating children with cerebral palsy?
The drug pairs Shudi (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata) and Fuling (Poria), and Shanyao (Rhizoma Dioscoreae) and Fuling (Poria) show high support and confidence above 82.50%, indicating significant association.
What are the characteristics of TCM drugs used for children with cerebral palsy?
Most drugs are warm in nature, sweet in flavor, and attributed to liver and kidney meridians, with non-toxic profiles.
What is the significance of this study?
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of TCM medication patterns for children with cerebral palsy based on medical records and literature, offering evidence-based guidance for clinical practice and future research.
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