[A retrospective study on type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with integrated Chinese and Western medicine]

To compare the therapeutic efficacy and cost-efficacy of different treatment methods for treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Based on the electronic inpatient clinical information systems, clinical materials of T2DM patients were collected and assigned according to the therapeutic method used, to the groups of Western medicinal (WM) treatment (A), WM combined Chinese drug injection treatment (B) and the WM combined Chinese decoction or patent drugs treatment (C). Depending on the data of symptom scores, blood sugar and blood lipids, etc., the efficacy of different treatments were analyzed in terms of improving symptoms, elevating the quality of life (QOL), controlling blood sugar, reducing dosage of insulin used and diminishing economic expense, with the enumeration data analyzed by chi2 test and the measurement data by ANOVA.

Treatment C showed a better efficacy than the other two in improving symptoms, elevating QOL, controlling blood sugar, reducing dose of insulin used and lightening the financial burden (P < 0.05).

Selective use of Chinese drugs depending on syndrome differentiation is recommended during combined application of Chinese and Western medicine; and the Chinese medicine injection is not advised as the first scheme for treatment of T2DM.