Major and minor diagnostic criteria of liver dystemperament in Iranian Traditional Medicine: A Qualitative Study

Liver dystemperament is one of the main concepts of Iranian Traditional Medicine. However, the significance of its diagnostic criteria is not clear. The purpose of this study is to determine the major and minor diagnostic criteria of liver dystemperament in Iranian Traditional Medicine. This study is a qualitative study based on a hybrid model or a combination of theoretical and empirical studies. At the theoretical stage, 11 books of the main texts of Iranian Traditional Medicine were reviewed and scientific databases were searched by the keywords "liver" and "temperament" (mizaj) in Persian and English. Then, in order to examine the diagnostic method and the importance of each of the criteria, a semi-structured face-to-face interview was conducted with 16 traditional medicine specialists. The data were analyzed through conventional content analysis. Then, the significance and diagnostic priority of each of the symptoms were assessed through a discussion group featuring 10-12 professors. In this study, six major criteria and six minor criteria were identified for hot and cold dystemperament and eight major and ten minor criteria were identified for wet and dry liver dystemperament. This study is the first study to assess the importance of symptoms from the viewpoint of traditional medicine specialists and can be considered as an important step forward in integrating the methods of traditional Iranian medicine in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Further studies, as well as validation of the proposed diagnostic indicators and tools for liver dystemperament, are recommended.