2 Sthenia syndrome
Sthenia syndrome refers to symptoms of predominant pathogenic factors and non-asthenic healthy qi. The cause of sthenia syndrome includes two factors, one is invasion of exogenous pathogenic factors into the body; the other is dysfunction of the viscera, leading to the accumulation of phlegm, fluid, dampness and blood stasis in the body.
Clinical manifestations. The clinical manifestations vary with different types of sthenia syndrome due to the difference of pathogenic factors and the invading and accumulating regions. For example, internal predominance of pathogenic cold manifests cold syndrome, while exuberance of pathogenic heat manifests sthenic heat syndrome .The internal sthenic syndromes due to internal exuberance of phlegm, fluid, dampness, blood stasis and retention of food also vary in clinical manifestations which will be discussed in the following sections. Here the common symptoms are taken as examples to show the characteristics of sthenia syndrome. The common symptoms include fever, restlessness, even coma with delirium, chest oppression, hoarse breath, exuberance of phlegm and drool, unpalpable pain of abdomen, retention of dry feces, or dysentery with blood and pus, tenesmus, inhibited urination, or painful stringuria, tough tongue, thick or greasy fur and sthenic pulse, etc.
Analysis of symptoms. Fever is due to exuberant pathogenic factors, confliction between healthy qi and pathogenic factors and predomination of yang heat; restlessness is due to pathogenic heat disturbing the heart;coma with delirium is due to exuberant heat disturbing heart spirit or sthenic pathogenic factors confusing heart spirit; chest oppression, hoarse breath and profuse sputum with rale are due to retention of pathogenic factors in the lung which prevents the lung from dispersing and descending ; retention of feces and unpalpable abdominal pain are due to accumulation of sthenic pathogenic factors in the stomach and intestines which prevents free flow of intestinal qi; dysentery with blood and pus and tenesmus are due to accumulation of damp heat in the large intestine which hinders the transportation of the large intestine; inhibited urination is due to retention of fluid and dampness and inhibited transformation of qi; painful stranguria is due to accumulation of damp heat in the bladder and inhibited transformation of qi in the bladder; tough tongue with thick or greasy fur and sthenic pulse are the signs of internal retention of pathogenic factors and confliction between healthy qi and pathogenic factors.
