Correlation analysis between the characteristics of tongue and peripheral hemogram in SARS patients

Objective: To observe the clinical characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and their traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndrome evolvement, and to investigate the relation of the characteristics of the SARS patients' tongues and the characteristics' change of the patients' blood, as well as the action of observing TCM tongue on preventing SARS. Methods: The clinical data of 90 SARS patients, including clinical syndromes, the photo of tongue, the examination of blood, and etc. were summed up and (analyzed) by perspective way. Results: There was a positive (correlation) between the SARS patients' white (blood) cell counts(WBC), neutrophil and curdy fur and greasy fur (P0.01); a negative correlation between the WBC and thin fur, thick fur, light red tongue; a negative correlation between neutrophil and thin tongue, (enlarged) tongue; a negative correlation between lymphocyte, eosinophil, monocyte and curdy fur, creasy fur ((P0.01)); a positive (correlation) between lymphocyte, thin tongue and enlarged tongue; a positive (correlation) between eosinophil and prickly tongue, tongue with fissures, red tip of the tongue (P0.01); a positive (correlation) between monocyte and tough tongue, tender tongue, red tongue, moist fur, dry fur, and (denudated) fur(P0.01); a negative correlation between monocyte and light red tongue(P0.01); a positive (correlation) between blood platelet counts and tongue with fissures(P0.05); a negative correlation between blood platelet counts and red tongue, thick or thin fur(P0.05). Conclusion: SARS patients have unique (alterations) of clinical syndrome, tongue and blood. There exists some correlation between the characteristics of patients' tongues and blood. So the developing observation of the patients' tongues may help indicating the state of the illness as soon as possible. The TCM diagnosis of tongue is important in the SARS patients' (diagnosis) and treatment.