Physiological indices for the categorization of Mibyeong severity

BACKGROUND Individuals with Mibyeong are difficult to identify. Although extensive research has attempted to introduce an easy and clear method for Mibyeong diagnosis, the indices used to categorize Mibyeong severity are unclear. We hypothesized that individuals with severe Mibyeong have reduced physiological function, thus activating homeostatic regulatory functions and inducing alterations in vascular resistance and capacitance. METHODS Novel indices used to categorize Mibyeong severity based on the cardiovascular system model are described. We analyzed resistance and capacitance values using a simple cardiovascular system model optimally satisfying the measured systolic and diastolic pressures, heart rate, and age. RESULTS Clinical data from 509 individuals were examined to test our hypothesis. A statistical analysis revealed that the vascular resistance was lower in individuals with severe Mibyeong symptoms and decreased with increasing Mibyeong severity, whereas the vascular capacitance showed an opposite trend. CONCLUSION We derived indices to categorize Mibyeong severity and tested 509 individuals. An epidemiological analysis revealed that the vascular resistance decreased while the capacitance increased with increasing Mibyeong severity, indicating the validity of the values as Mibyeong indices.