Article: A REVIEW ON PROGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS – THROUGH THE LENS OF INDRIYA STHANA OF CHARAKA SAMHITA

Article Category: Review articles

DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.174148

Pages: 120-123

Author: Viva M Vasu *

Abstract: A biomarker, which is defined as a change in the components of tissues or bodily fluids, offers a potent way, to comprehend the range of chronic diseases and may be used in at least five different fields, including screening, diagnosis, prognostics, recurrence prediction, and therapy monitoring. Prognostic biomarkers are biological or clinical traits that assist in forecasting a patient's health outcome without therapy. They are used to identify patients who are more likely to have a certain outcome, such as illness recurrence or progression, or death. Numerous biomarkers have been created since Acharya Charaka's time. The use of biomarkers as a prognostic tool is demonstrated in the Indriya Sthana of Charaka Samhita. According to the well-known reference, "Charakasthu Chikisithe”, Acharya Charaka has emphasized the use of a variety of biomarkers as a prognostic tool to prevent physicians from misjudging their patient’s conditions. He explains dismal prognosis based on sputum, stool, and semen test in the Indriya Sthana. If a man's nisthyutam (sputum), purisham (stool), and retah (semen) sink into water, he has reached the end of his life. If the sputum has varied colors and sinks in water, the patient does not survive. This article examines the current information and research on sputum, stool, and semen as prognostic biomarkers.

Keyword: Biomarker, Sputum, Stool, Semen, Prognosis, Indriya Sthana, Arishta Lakshana