Abstract
We investigated the relationships between the peripheral circulatory function evaluated by the accelerated plethysmogram (APG) and the cold constitution in female students. The measurements of the APG in fingers were performed in a room at 25.7±0.4°C, using a plethysmography. The APG was evaluated by the waveforms and the scores. Four hundred and fourteen students participated in this study. About a half of the females (n=200; Cold group) recognized the existence of cold constitution. Furthermore, the Cold group was divided into three subgroups (weak; 80.5%, medium; 15%, strong; 4.5%), dependent on the conditions. In general, the females without the cold constitution (Normal group) belonged to the types of good circulation, and higher APG scores. However, there were many females having the types of poor circulation and lower APG scores in Cold group, compared to Normal group. Among the Cold group, the females who have poor waveforms and lower APG scores tended to have severe cold constitution. These findings suggest that the existence and the degree of cold constitution are, at least in part, able to be evaluated by the APG.
