Table 4.
Comparison of tongue features between early and advanced stages of BC.
| Tongue features | Early stages of BC (stages 0 & I) | Advanced stages of BC (stages II& III & IV) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 33 | n = 89 | ||
| Tongue shape, n (%) | |||
| Small | 11 (33.3%) | 29 (32.6%) | 0.332 |
| Median | 16 (48.5%) | 52 (58.4%) | |
| Enlarged | 6 (18.2%) | 8 (9.0%) | |
| Tongue color, n (%) | |||
| Pale | 20 (60.6%) | 40 (44.9%) | 0.204 |
| Pink-red | 10 (30.3%) | 43 (48.3%) | |
| Bluish | 3 (9.1%) | 6 (6.7%) | |
| Fur thickness, n (%) | |||
| Thin | 19 (57.6%) | 44 (49.4%) | 0.342 |
| Thick | 14 (42.4%) | 45 (50.6%) | |
| Fur color, n (%) | |||
| White | 12 (36.4%) | 34 (38.2%) | 0.852 |
| Yellow | 21 (63.6%) | 55 (61.8%) | |
| Saliva, n (%) | |||
| Normal | 13 (39.4%) | 57 (64.0%) | 0.014∗ |
| Wet | 20 (60.6%) | 34 (36.0%) | |
| Thick tongue fur | 60.7 ± 23.1 | 59.1 ± 23.1 | 0.730 |
| Fissures (mean ± SD) | 5.0 ± 6.2 | 6.1 ± 7.3 | 0.439 |
| Teeth marks (mean ± SD) | 3.2 ± 2.9 | 3.5 ± 2.6 | 0.606 |
| Ecchymoses (mean ± SD) | 6.8 ± 12.9 | 6.7 ± 14.8 | 0.986 |
| Ecchymoses in the heart-lung area | 5.5 ± 10.9 | 4.5 ± 10.2 | 0.642 |
| Ecchymoses in the left liver-gallbladder area | 0.4 ± 0.9 | 0.6 ± 1.4 | 0.509 |
| Ecchymoses in the right liver-gallbladder area | 0.3 ± 0.8 | 0.9 ± 2.2 | 0.037∗ |
| Ecchymoses in the spleen-stomach area | 0.5 ± 1.5 | 0.7 ± 2.5 | 0.723 |
| Ecchymoses in the kidney area | 0 | 0 ± 0.1 | 0.545 |
| Red dots (mean ± SD) | 26.1 ± 22.3 | 24.1 ± 23.9 | 0.686 |
| Red dots in the heart-lung area | 10.6 ± 12.5 | 11.0 ± 12.7 | 0.892 |
| Red dots in the left liver-gallbladder area | 5.3 ± 6.4 | 4.6 ± 6.2 | 0.563 |
| Red dots in the right liver-gallbladder area | 7.6 ± 8.5 | 6.0 ± 6.7 | 0.276 |
| Red dots in the spleen-stomach area | 2.1 ± 4.5 | 2.0 ± 5.5 | 0.938 |
| Red dots in the kidney area | 0.5 ± 1.0 | 0.6 ± 1.6 | 0.630 |
p values were performed by independent t-test for continuous variables and chi-square test (or Fisher's exact) for categorical variables. ∗p < 0.05.