Volume 1,Issue 4
Research on the Correlation between Human Infrared Thermal Structure and Disease Risk Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution
Objective: To explore the correlation between human infrared thermal patterns and disease risk using infrared thermography (IRT) technology, and to investigate auxiliary methods for objective diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine, providing new insights for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 451 patients who met the inclusion criteria, focusing on the distribution patterns of constitution types and diseases, as well as the correlation between infrared thermal patterns and disease risk. Results: Among the included cases, the most prevalent constitution types were deficiency of both Yin and Yang with phlegm-dampness, and deficiency of Yang and blood; the top three diseases were chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) with 98 cases (21.7%), chronic gastritis with 94 cases (20.8%), and gastrointestinal polyps with 31 cases (3.6%). In the study of the correlation between infrared thermal state structure and the risk of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), univariate analysis indicated that there were differences between the outcome event cohort and the non-outcome event cohort in terms of gender, age, Tfacial, Tupper energizer, Tmiddle energizer, Tlower energizer, Tleft dorsal foot, and Tright hypochondriac region (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, age, Tmiddle energizer, and Tleft dorsal foot were independent risk factors for CFS (with odds ratios [ORs] of 2.706, 0.956, 0.686, and 1.310, respectively, p < 0.05). The establishment of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve assessment model found that Tleft dorsal foot had certain diagnostic value (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.564, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.498–0.630). Conclusion: There is a potential correlation between the human infrared thermal state structure and disease risk prediction. Promoting the clinical use and research popularization of infrared thermography (IRT) can provide a visual basis for disease state prediction and assessment, and is of great significance for in-depth research on constitutional types and the biophysical properties of meridians and acupoints.
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