Urinary Function of the Sasang Type and Cold-Heat Subgroup Using the Sasang Urination Inventory in Korean Hospital Patients

INTRODUCTION: The Sasang type-specific pathophysiological symptom is pivotal for the Sasang type classification and pattern identification. The Sasang Urination and Defecation Inventory (SUDI) for urinary function analysis was developed; however, the clinical usefulness of urination-related subscales of SUDI in the Sasang type and Cold-Heat subgroup was not reported with acceptable validation analysis. METHODS: The clinical diagnosis of the Sasang type and Cold-Heat subgroup, responses to SUDI items, and weight and height of the 350 hospital patients were acquired retrospectively. The Sasang Urination Inventory (SUI) with SUI-CHR (problematic physical characteristics of urine), SUI-HSS (hypersensitivity of urinary urgency and high frequency), and SUI-DIS (urinary discomfort of hesitancy and residual urine sense) subscales using 12 items of SUDI were improvised. The item and construct validity of the SUI were examined using item response theory and confirmatory factor analysis, and the clinical usefulness of the SUI in Sasang type and Cold-Heat subgroup differentiation was attested. RESULTS: The SUI and its subscales showed acceptable structural validity and have clinical usefulness in the Tae-Eum type. The Tae-Eum type has a significantly higher SUI-CHR score than did the So-Yang type, and the Heat subgroup has a significantly higher SUI-HSS score than did the Cold subgroup in the Tae-Eum type. Discussion. The distinctive Sasang type- and Cold-Heat subscale-specific pathological symptoms in urinary function were revealed using the SUI. The SUI combined with objective Sasang typology measures might be useful for integrative precision medicine combining Eastern and Western practice and for evidence-based clinical education for medical professions.