[Tongue tip microcirculation in patients with different symptoms].

Observations of tongue tip microcirculation were made on 104 patients with different symptom-complex [5 groups: Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency, Qi.blood deficiency, Qi stagnation-blood stasis, damp-heat] in view of TCM, and on 100 healthy persons. 10 indicators including the transverse diameter of the fungiform papillae, morphology of microvascular clumps in the tongue papillae, congestion of the top of microvascular loop, loop dilation, blood color, hemodynamics in microvascular loop, exudation, hemorrhage and loop morphology were observed. The results were: patients of each group were found to have to different degree microcirculation dysfunction; every group differed with Qi stagnation-blood stasis group of being most different. The numbers of abnormal indicators: Qi stagnation-blood stasis group had all 10; Yang deficiency group 9; Yin deficiency and Qi-blood deficiency group 8, 8 respectively; damp-heat group 7. This study discussed the relationship between tongue tip microcirculation of each group and the changes of tongue picture and typing of differentiation of symptoms and signs in view of TCM.