Volume 11,Issue 4
Clinical Efficacy Observation of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of combined treatment of Chinese & Western medicine on type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy (T2DPN) by means of randomized controlled trials. Methods: In total, 80 qualified patients of T2DPN were selected for this study and divided randomly into a control group and a treatment group, each with 40 patients. Patients in the control group took mecobalamin plus alpha-lipoic acid, patients in the treatment group took mecobalamin plus alpha-lipoic acid and the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prepared with the effects of tonifying qi, nourishing yin, activating blood circulation, and unblocking collaterals, receiving acupuncture at the same time. Results: The nerve conduction velocity, TCM symptom score, fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and lipid profile before treatment were compared to those 12 weeks later. At the end of the intervention lasting for 12 weeks, compared to the control group, there were significantly better changes in the treatment group over every observed indicator: faster motor and sensory conduction velocity of the median nerve and common peroneal nerve, more pronounced reduction in TCM syndrome scores, better correction of glucose metabolism, and blood fat indexes. The intergroup difference was highly significant (P < 0.001). Throughout the whole observation process, neither of these groups had any notable adverse reaction reported. Conclusion: Therefore, comprehensive treatment combining traditional Chinese and Western medicines can simultaneously act on many aspects of pathogenesis in order to achieve the dual goals of improving neurofunction and metabolism of people with T2DPN so they will have a positive prognosis. Such a strategy has definite clinical efficacy and good tolerance, which makes it worthy of being popularized further throughout the medical community.
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