Objective To analyze the characteristics and distribution of TCM patterns of multiple sclerosis to provide reference for standardization of TCM patterns of multiple sclerosis (MS) and for clinical research.Methods The medical records of 78 patients who visited the Department of Encephalopathy in Dongzhimen Hospital

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from January 2011 to August 2019 were collected retrospectively

totaling 308 case reports.Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed on the four diagnostic information of TCM incorporated into the medical records.Results A total of 115 diagnostic information of four diagnoses were collected from 78 MS patients with 308 case reports

10 of which had frequency≥25%

including fine pulse

thin white coating

dark red tongue

limb numbness

wiry pulse

sunken pulse

fatigue

greasy coating

limb weakness and yellow coating.30 diagnostic data with frequency≥8% were selected for principal component analysis

and a total of 11 common factors were obtained.The maximum variance method was used to rotate the component matrix to obtain the load factor

and factor coefficient was used to screen out the information corresponding to 11 diagnostic information with principal components.Based on the clustering analysis

the clustering results showed that there were 5 types of TCM patterns

which were successively from high to low in proportion:spleen and kidney yang deficiency accounting for 32.46%

qi and blood deficiency accounting for 24.03%

dampness-heat immersion accounting for 21.42%

liver and kidney deficiency accounting for 12.34%

and dampness and turbid retention accounting for 9.74%.The proportion of principal components involved in kidney localization was 44.81%

and the proportion involved in pathogenic dampness was 31.17%

among which the proportion of dampness-heat was relatively high.Conclusions By using principal component analysis and cluster analysis

the characteristics and distribution of TCM patterns of MS patients are studied

which is of certain reference value for the standardization and clinical research of TCM patterns of multiple sclerosis. Abstract