Objective:

To investigate the clinical differences between two common Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) patterns for Ulcerative Colitis (UC): dampness-heat in the large intestine (DCSR) and spleen deficiency with dampness accumulation (PXSY).

Approach:

• Study Design: 180 UC patients were enrolled, with 90 diagnosed with DCSR and 90 with PXSY. Various inflammatory markers, endoscopic features, and histological characteristics were assessed.
• Data Collection: Peripheral inflammatory markers were measured, endoscopic features were assessed using scoring systems, and histological injury was quantified using the Robarts Histopathology Index (RHI).
• Statistical Analysis: Multivariate regression models were constructed to adjust for confounding variables such as sex, medication history, and disease duration.

Key Findings:

• Patients with DCSR pattern exhibited significantly higher levels of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (β = 1.602, adjusted-p < 0.006), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (β = 75.851, adjusted-p < 0.006), and neutrophil-to-albumin ratio (β = 0.044, adjusted-p < 0.006) compared to PXSY pattern.
• DCSR patients showed more severe inflammation with higher endoscopic scores (p < 0.01).
• Ulcer formation was identified as an independent differentiating factor between the two patterns (OR = 2.429, 95% CI: 1.209–4.880, p = 0.013).
• Histologically, DCSR demonstrated more severe mucosal damage with higher RHI scores (p < 0.01) and increased MPO+ cells.
• Higher expression levels of NOX2, CD11b, and NETs were found in the DCSR group.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• The study was limited to a single hospital, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
• The sample size, while adequate for the analysis, may not capture all variations in TCM patterns.

Conclusion: