The Relationship between “Shofuku-Fujin” (Abnormality of Abdominal Examination in Japanese Kampo Medicine) and Body Composition by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Shofuku-fujin is an abnormal physical finding in Kampo medical practice. It is assumed to be often found in the elderly and contributes to the selection of Kampo formulas used mainly in elderly patients. However, few objective reports about Shofuku-fujin have been published to date. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical features of patients showing Shofuku-fujin by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and to objectively assess the potential clinical implications of these findings. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1330 patients who visited our institute to undergo a medical examination by using data collected from September 2010 to March 2016. We extracted data on patient sex and age, anthropometric data, and body composition data that could potentially affect the appearance of Shofuku-fujin. Logistic regression analyses were performed by sex to analyze the various factors related to the appearance of Shofuku-fujin. Of the 1330 patients, the data of 386 men and 942 women were used for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Shofuku-fujin was associated with older age (odds ratio (OR), 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05–1.10; p  < 0.001), lower skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43–0.85; p  = 0.004), and lower body fat percentage (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85–0.93; p  < 0.001) in men and older age (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04–1.07, p  < 0.001) and lower body fat percentage (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92–0.96; p  < 0.001) in women. On the basis of these results, the factors causing the appearance of Shofuku-fujin were aging, decreased muscle mass, and decreased body fat in men and aging and decreased body fat in women. Our results demonstrated that it may be better to consider a loss of muscle mass when examining a male patient with Shofuku-fujin.