Abstract:

Pediatric allergic diseases(such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis) are characterized by chronic recurrence and multi-system involvement. The pathological nature of "deficiency of healthy Qi-cementation of pathogenic Qi" is highly consistent with the theory of "host-guest interaction" in traditional Chinese medicine. The theory of "host-guest interaction" comes from Wu Youxing's Wen-Yi Lun (Treatise on Pestilence). It was originally used to explain the chronic diseases of pathogenic factors remaining in blood vessels in the late stage of Wen Yi(epidemic diseases), and then gradually expanded and applied to chronic refractory diseases. Children's Zang-fu organs are delicate, prone to both deficiency and excess, so it is especially suitable for treatment according to the theory of "host-guest interaction". In the paper, the core connotation is "the host is healthy Qi, the guest is pathogenic Qi, and the intersection is cementation", and considering the physiological characteristics of "the lung often being insufficient, the spleen often being insufficient, and kidney often being deficient", the "host-guest interaction" pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and allergic conjunctivitis is systematically explained: children's innate intolerance and deficiency of the lung, spleen and kidney are the root of "host deficiency"; the invasion of the external pathogenic factors such as wind, cold, dampness and heat and the endogenous pathological products such as phlegm and stasis are the cause of "guest pathogen". The cementation of pathogenic Qi and healthy Qi in the collaterals of skin, nasal orifices and eye orifices forms a pathological state of "deficient healthy-Qi giving rise to lingering pathogens and cementation being difficult to relieve", which is manifested as the dynamic evolution of "primary host-guest interaction" in the acute stage and "deep host-guest interaction" in the chronic stage. Based on this, the treatment principle is proposed, which is "reinforcing the healthy Qi to eliminate pathogenic factors, dredging collaterals to search for pathogenic factors, and separating host from guest". In the acute stage, the main goal is to eliminate pathogenic factors with the healthy-Qi reinforced. In the chronic stage, the basic principle is to reinforce the healthy-Qi while searching collaterals to eliminate pathogenic factors. The treatment plan and pediatric medication strategy are formulated to provide theoretical support and new perspectives for the individualized diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases in children.

Key words: Allergic diseases, Atopic dermatitis, Allergic rhinitis, Allergic conjunctivitis, Host-guest interaction, Etiology and pathogenesis, Traditional Chinese medcine diagnosis and treatment, Child