Objective To analyze medication rules of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of thyroid nodules based on real-world data mining technology.
Methods Chinese medicine prescriptions for patients with thyroid nodules as clinical first diagnosis in the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery in Qingdao Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from August 2018 to August 2023 were collected, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Assistant Platform (V3.0) was used to analyze the medication rules.
Results A total of 1 206 traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for the treatment of thyroid nodules were screened, involving 291 traditional Chinese medicines; the top five most frequently used drugs were Fritillaria thunbergii, Prunella vulgaris, Bupleurum chinense, Poria cocos, and Pinellia ternata; the main function of drugs were clearing heat, tonifying deficiency, resolving phlegm, activating blood circulation, and regulating qi; the main property of the drugs was cold, the main tastes of drugs were bitter, sweet and spicy, and the meridians involved were mainly the lung, liver and spleen meridians; association rule analysis identified 17 high-frequency drug combinations, with Fritillaria thunbergii-Prunella vulgaris as the most frequently occurring drug pair; among the 16 association rules, Radix Scrophulariae-Fritillaria thunbergii and Rhizoma Cyperi-Bupleurum chinense had the highest confidence level; clustering analysis found 6 core drug combinations.
Conclusion The main idea of clinical treatment of thyroid nodules in traditional Chinese medicine is to resolve phlegm and reduce nodules, promote qi circulation and blood circulation, and nourish qi and blood; the common herbal combination of Fritillaria thunbergii and Prunella vulgaris is used to clear heat, resolve phlegm, and reduce nodules, and the basic formula for resolving scrofula is based on Xiaoluo Pills, which resolves phlegm, softens hardened nodules, and reduces nodules.
DownLoad: