66 :Hepatophilic virus disease – TCM classification as “Wetness-heat vaporization form” Common symptoms (11) : Wetness-heat of skin (15)

Liu (code number 725), female, age 60 years.  Her first visit was in April, 1999 with the chief complaint of history of hyperthyroidism (onset at 20 years of age and cured with western medical drugs 3 years later)  and nasopharyngeal cancer treated by radiotherapy.  At the time of first visit, she had fatigue, sleepiness, repeated migraine, palpitation, anasarca, pigmentation and prolonged pruritus.  Physical examination: anemic and thin, tired looking, puffiness of face, tongue red and enlarged, arrhythmia (心率不整), hepatomegaly of 3 cm, marked edema and venous varicosities of lower extremities.  Skin of the whole body showed pigmentation patched and generalized sweat stains; over the limbs and abdominal skin, there were multiple macular eruptions and scratch marks and most of the macular eruptions had central scabs due to punctuate ulcerations (scabies).

The diagnosis was chronic hepatitis (EB virus of nasopharyngeal cancer not ruled out) with TCM classification of wetness-heat vaporization form (scabies, generalized sweat stain, hepatic edema) deficiency of both qi and blood (anemia, arrhythmia, endocrine disorder) blockage of channel and stasis of blood (nasopharyngeal cancer, venous varicosities of lower extremities) up flaring of liver fire (hypertension, migraine) and deficiency of both liver and kidney form.
After taking 3 parcels of TCM drugs migraine decreased markedly, the time in attack shortened significantly but arrhythmia was still marked; blood pressure 120/60 mmHg.  After 6 parcels of TCM drugs, the liver returned to normal and dermal pruritus decreased, migraine disappeared and sleeping was good; the abdominal skin showed disseminated pigmentation.  Two weeks later, the heart rate was normal and dermal pruritus was decreasing.  During the course of treatment, she experienced diarrhea, some 6 to 7 times a day, watery and profuse in amount.  At the third week of TCM medication, dermal pruritus disappeared, the stools were normal.  She felt hungry and urination was smooth.  After taking four weeks of TCM drugs, she had no more nocturia.  At the attainment of clinical cure, treatment was stopped.  She was followed up and later, was referred to ENT department for treatment of purulent discharge and itching of the ear.

Choi (code number 2335) male, age 48 years.

His first visit was in September 2000.  Through blood examination, the patient found that he had type B hepatitis and positive antigen.  He complained that he had prolonged tiredness and post-auricular boils which required repeated incisions to expel the pus.  He was hypersensitive to tetracycline and for ten more years had dermal hyper-sensitivity and although no eruptions were found, he had generalized pruritus, especially marked during dry weather.  Recently, he felt significant abdominal distention and food intake decreased greatly.  His skin was dark with scattered dark pigmentation over the skin of the chest and abdomen.  On palpation, the abdomen was full, with a hepatomegaly of 4.5 cm.   The diagnosis was chronic type B hepatitis, with TCM classification of wetness-heat vaporization form (wetness-heat of stomache and intestine, wetness-heat of skin with wind originated pruritus, boils).

After taking 3 parcels of TCM drugs, he passed large amounts of stinking stools; distention of upper abdomen decreased and the liver became normal.  He took totally 17 parcels of TCM drugs and stopped the medication by himself.  Afterwards, he did not receive any more systemic treatment because of outdoor business.

Hepatomegaly relapsed for three times but each time the illness was cured by taking three parcels of TCM drugs.  He continued to take TCM drugs and said that after treatment of liver disease, the post-auricular boils did not become purulent.

Chan (code number 2497) male, 28 years.

He first visited the clinic in May 2001 with the chief complaint of pustular scabs and eruptions of the buttocks for several years which showed repeated painful ulcerations and purulent discharge.  He was susceptible to exopathy and sorethroat.  He coughed out a large amount of sputum and symptoms such as fatigue, gastric distention, abdominal distention after meal, belching, tenesmus, heaviness in the chest, palpitation, burning sensation, alopecia, oliguria and yellowish color of urine.  Physical examination : hypochondriac anomaly, lower extremities (土) edema, hepatomegaly of 4.5 cm.  After taking 3 parcels of TCM drugs, the liver shrank 3 cm and after another 3 parcels, the liver was normal.  After administration of TCM drugs, the clinical symptoms subsided and the pustules disappeared.  He took 32 parcels of TCM drugs and clinical cure was attained following the systemic therapy.