13 :Hepatophilic virus disease - TCM classification
as chronic hepatitis "Liver stagnation and lung dryness form" and case reports
    Hepatogenic nasal allergy   
(肝源性鼻敏感）

        The former article mentioned about the cause, pathological development, hazards and clinical characteristics of the liver stagnation and lung dryness form.  Here, we continue to introduce typical disease entities belonging to the liver stagnation and lung dryness form, and they are also commonly and frequently encountered diseases, for example,

(1)  hepatognice nasal allergy  (肝源性鼻敏感);

(2)  hepatogenic exopathy (hepatic upper respiratory tract inflammation) [肝源性外感 (肝性上呼吸道炎)] ;

(3)   hepatogenic tracheitis, bronchitis and interstitial pneumonia (肝源性氣管炎.支氣及間質性肺炎);

(4)   hepatogenic asthma (肝源性哮喘).

        Along with the introduction of practical cases, we intend to use western medical disease nomenclature, so that people may understand more easily and make comparisons and they may know that these common diseases are in fact symptoms of chronic liver diseases.  Although the writing is dull, but if it is used to compare with the health condition of yourself or your close relatives, it may provide for you a new way in the treatment of diseases.

(1)   Hepatogenic nasal allergy

Allergic rhinitis has mild general symptoms, and is characterized by its “coming quick and going quick.”  Simple allergic rhinitis often has a history of allergen (such as dust, paint, pollen, etc), but hepatogenic nasal allergy usually does not have a clear history of allergen, the symptoms manifested are stubborn and appear repeatedly.  If the patient has been diagnosed as chronic hepatitis by western medical doctors, or there are systemic symptoms and abnormality of margin of liver dullness in association with chronic hepatitis, hepatogenic nasal allergy should be considered.

Hepatogenic nasal allergy manifestations are early symptoms of the liver stagnation and lung dryness form.  At the onset of the disease, frequent duplications of the hepatophilic viruses exist and the patient’s immune response is aroused.  Clinically, the patient suffers from continuous sneezing, nasal obstruction and discharge, pale color of nasal mucosa and edema, and this is seen more in preschool and school age children.  But some adult patients may have long term stubborn nasal allergy symptoms; this is mainly due to prolonged liver stagnation and lung dryness, causing insufficiency of skin and blood, so that symptoms of nasal allergy are easily evoked.  Hepatogenic nasal allergy often presents generalized gastrointestinal wetness-heat or blood insufficiency with generalized symptoms.  Through administration of systemic TCM Hepatophilic virus disease treatment, the illness can be cured usually.

Case report

Case 1: Luk (computer code: 314), male, 4 and 1/2 years.  First visit: August 19 1997.  The mother complained that the child had nasal allergy for some time and he also had loss of appetite, thinness, nasal obstruction, continuous sneezing.  At night, the nasal obstruction became worse so that sleeping was affected and nasal dropping was applied to relieve the obstruction.  Physical examination revealed a thin child with liver enlarged to costal margin.  After taking 6 parcels of TCM, liver dullness returned to 1.5 cm above costal margin, and after systemic TCM treatment, clinical cure was attained and treatment was stopped.

       Relapse of disease occurred on Nov 14 1998.  The child showed repeated nasal allergy associated with episodes of epistaxis of fair amount.  There were also loss of appetite, thinness and poor sleep.  Physical examination revealed pale yellowish skin, hepatomegaly 1.5cm below costal margin.  But the liver size returned to normal after 7 parcels of TCM treatment and the therapy stopped after another 7 parcels of drugs.

       Three months later, that is on Feb 27, 1999, the child visited the clinic again because of repeated nasal allergy, fatigue, nasal obstruction, sneezing, loss of appetite, constipation and enuresis (遺尿).  Physical examination showed hepatomegaly 1.5 cm below costal margin, abdomen soft, abdominal wall showing prominent perpendicular veins.  After taking 3 parcels of TCM, the stools became larger in amount, nasal obstruction decreased and nasal spraying was no necessary.  The liver became normal but enuresis was still present.  TCM therapy was not systematically administered afterwards.  And for the following two months, drugs were given interruptedly.  The liver was enlarged for two times following interruption of therapy, and often times symptoms of nasal allergy, hoarseness of voice, coughing, with copious sputum and repeated epistaxis (反覆鼻出血) occurred.  The patient’s mother eventually accepted doctor’s advice and the patient took TCM continuously for 4 weeks.  Clinical cure was attained following systemic treatment and relapse did not occur thereafter.

By WONG Kwok Hung

28th November 2000
(translated by Professor ZHENG Hua En, December 2001)

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