• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 2020

Objectives : We investigated heart rate variability (HRV) patterns in patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) and the relationships of these patterns with alexithymia. Methods : In total, 42 patients with SSD and 33 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Demographic, psychological, and HRV data were assessed at baseline, and 24 patients with SSD were reassessed after 6 months of treatment. The psychological data included somatic symptoms and levels of depression, anxiety, and alexithymia as indicated by the somatic symptom subscale of the Symptom Checklist 90-Revision (SCL-12), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 (TAS-20), respectively. Results : Patients with SSD had a lower standard deviation of normal-to-normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and lower proportions of adjacent R-R intervals greater than 50 milliseconds (pNN50) compared with controls. These HRV parameters were negatively correlated with alexithymia severity. After treatment, patients exhibited significantly decreased levels of somatic symptoms and reduced anxiety and depression, but there were no significant differences in the HRV parameters. In patients with alexithymia, a high baseline SDNN and pNN50 were associated with a decrease in somatic symptoms. Conclusions : Patients with SSD have different HRV patterns, and several HRV parameters are associated with alexithymia severity. These findings suggest that ANS regulation is involved in the pathophysiology of SSD, mediated by alexithymia. Furthermore, these results suggest that certain HRV parameters may be associated with clinical outcomes of SSD.

• 대한상한금궤의학회지
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.45-59
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• 2021

Objectives: This study was conducted to confirm the reproducibility of the diagnosis of greater yin disease (太陰病) and the efficacy of herbal treatment using Gyejigajakyak-tang or Gyejigadaehwang-tang in somatic symptom disorder (SSD). We also further refined the characteristics of greater yin disease in SSD. Methods: We analyzed the demographic and treatment data of seven patients with SSD from four Korean medical clinics. The reliability of diagnosis and the efficacy of the treatments were evaluated by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), a numerical rating scale (NRS), and the patients' statements. Finally, we analyzed patients according to the diagnostic points of Shanghanlun provision 273. Results: Seven SSD patients took Gyejigajakyak-tang or Gyejigadaehwang-tang. The mean age of the patients was 52.1±15.8 years old, and the herbal medication period was 82.2±38.2 days. At the first visit, the patients showed hypochondriasis, obvious stress, and a severe BAI score (40.4±10.9). The NRS significantly decreased from 8.9±1.6 to 0.7±0.7 after the treatments. There were no side effects reported. As a result of analyzing these 7 cases, hypochondriasis, obvious stress, and anxiety were identified, which had been previously suggested as 自痛, 因爾, and 結硬. Conclusions: We confirmed the reproducibility of greater yin disease in 7 SSD cases from 4 medical institutions. These results imply that there could be a considerable relation between SSD and greater yin disease as defined by the Shanghanlun provisions.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.49-56
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• 2020

Objective : The present study aims to investigate differences in anger-related features in patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) compared to healthy controls, and to examine whether anger trait and anger regulation strategy are associated with clinical characteristics in patients with SSD. In addition, we examined the relationship between childhood adversity and SSD. Methods : 26 patients with SSD and 28 healthy controls were included. Anger-related features were assessed with State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Clinical somatic symptoms were assessed using the somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised and the Somatosensory Amplification Scale. Childhood adversity was assessed by the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale. Multivariate analysis of covariance was performed. Results : Disease status of SSD had a significant overall effect on anger-related features (Wilks λ=0.725, F(5, 44)=3.332, p=0.012). Patients with SSD showed a significantly high Trait-Anger (p=0.017) and they had a high score in both Anger-Out (p=0.013) and Anger-In (p=0.001) of anger expression styles. In particular, a directed inward style of anger expression was significantly associated with somatization symptom severity (p=0.003). Regarding childhood adversity, more childhood extreme illness was experienced by the SSD group than the control group (p=0.012). Within the SSD group, childhood extreme illness was associated with higher Trait-Anger (p=0.027) and Anger-Out (p=0.001). Conclusion : The present findings suggest that trait anger, anger expression styles, and childhood adversity of extreme illness may be involved in SSD. Further studies are needed to explore the role of anger-related features and its relationship with childhood adversity in the pathophysiology of SSD.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2021

This study aims to report the effectiveness of complex Korean medicine (KM) therapy on a somatic symptom disorder (SSD) patient. A 58-year-old woman had severe somatic pain for more than six months and showed accompanying anxiety and depression. KM doctors administered complex KM therapy to control her pain and psychological conditions. Her pain was rated using the numerical rating scale and her anxiety and depression symptoms with beck anxiety inventory and beck depression inventory. The somatic symptoms as well as the anxiety and depression significantly improved after KM treatment. This study suggests that complex KM therapy for SSD may be effective to manage both somatic and psychological symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.108-117
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• 2023

Objectives : Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is characterized by the manifestation of a variety of physical symptoms, but little is known about differences in autonomic nervous system activity according to symptom severity, especially within patient groups. In this study, we examined differences in heart rate variability (HRV) across symptom severity in a group of SSD patients to analyze a representative marker of autonomic nervous system changes by symptoms severity. Methods : Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for patients who were diagnosed with SSD based on DSM-5 from September 18, 2020 to October 29, 2021. We applied inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) methods to generate more homogeneous comparisons in HRV parameters by correcting for selection biases due to sociodemographic and clinical characteristic differences between groups. Results : There were statistically significant correlations between the somatic symptom severity and LF (nu), HF (nu), LF/HF, as well as SD1/SD2 and Alpha1/Alpha2. After IPTW estimation, the mild to moderate group was corrected to 27 (53.0%) and the severe group to 24 (47.0%), and homogeneity was achieved as the differences in demographic and clinical characteristics were not significant. The analysis of inverse probability weighted regression adjustment model showed that the severe group was associated with significantly lower RMSSD (β=-0.70, p=0.003) and pNN20 (β=-1.04, p=0.019) in the time domain and higher LF (nu) (β=0.29, p<0.001), lower HF (nu) (β=-0.29, p<0.001), higher LF/HF (β=1.41, p=0.001), and in the nonlinear domain, significant differences were tested for SampEn15 (β=-0.35, p=0.014), SD1/SD2 (β=-0.68, p<0.001), and Alpha1/Alpha2 (ß=0.43, p=0.001). Conclusions : These results suggest that differences in HRV parameters by SSD severity were showed in the time, frequency and nonlinear domains, specific parameters demonstrating significantly higher sympathetic nerve activity and reduced ability of the parasympathetic nervous system in SSD patients with severe symptoms.

• 대한상한금궤의학회지
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.53-84
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• 2023

Objective : The purpose of this study is to explore the therapeutic potential of Shanghanlun for neuropsychiatric disorders through a comparative review of five neuropsychiatric disorder cases diagnosed with Greater yin disease pattern/syndrome (太陰病). Methods : We collected and compared five neuropsychiatric cases diagnosed and treated with Greater yin disease pattern/syndrome (太陰病) from four korean medicine clinics. Clinical symptoms common to the five cases were analyzed by connecting them with Shanghanlun provision 273 and 279. Results : In all five cases, the improvement of chief complaints and decrease in general anxiety were observed after administration of Gyejigajakyak-tang (桂枝加芍薬湯) and Gyejigadaehwang-tang (圭支加大黃湯). In addition, neuropsychiatric symptoms and physical symptoms that are mentioned in Shanghanlun provision 273 and 279 were confirmed in all five cases. Conclusions : We not only reconfirmed that the core features of Greater yin disease pattern/syndrome(太陰病) proposed in previous studies; zi-tong (自痛), yin-er (因爾), jie-ying (結硬), but also that the physical symptoms associated with fu-man (腹満), tu (吐) and zi-li (自利) were common in the presenting symptoms and past histories of the five patients.