[Diabetic constipation treated with acupoint embedding therapy and forlax: a randomized controlled trial].

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Integrative Medicine
• Diabetology

Background:

• Diabetic constipation is a common complication of diabetes mellitus.
• Conventional treatments like Forlax (polyethylene glycol) have limitations in efficacy and long-term outcomes.
• Acupoint embedding therapy is a traditional Chinese medicine approach used for various conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical efficacy of a combined therapy (acupoint embedding + Forlax) versus individual therapies for diabetic constipation.
• To evaluate constipation symptom scores, clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, and recurrence rates.

Main Methods:

• 150 patients with diabetic constipation were randomized into three groups: comprehensive (acupoint embedding + Forlax), acupoint embedding only, and Forlax only.
• Treatment involved acupoint embedding weekly and Forlax daily for 4 weeks, repeated for two sessions.
• Constipation symptom scores, clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, and recurrence rates were assessed over 8 weeks and 2 months post-treatment.

Main Results:

• The comprehensive group showed a significantly higher total effective rate (98.0%) compared to acupoint embedding (86.0%) and Forlax (78.0%) groups (P<0.01).
• Constipation symptom scores improved significantly in all groups, with the comprehensive group showing the greatest improvement at 8 weeks and 2 months.
• The comprehensive group had a lower recurrence rate (8.1%) and fewer adverse reactions compared to the other groups.

Conclusions:

• Combined acupoint embedding and Forlax therapy is superior for treating diabetic constipation, demonstrating better clinical efficacy and symptom improvement.
• While short-term efficacy of acupoint embedding alone is comparable to Forlax alone, it offers better long-term efficacy and safety.
• The combined approach provides a promising therapeutic strategy for managing diabetic constipation.