Acupuncture combined with western medication in treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus with angina pectoris of coronary heart disease: a randomized controlled study

Abstract

To compare the therapeutic effect on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated with angina pectoris of coronary heart disease between the combined therapy of acupuncture and western medication and the simple administration of western medication. A total of 134 patients with T2DM and angina pectoris of coronary heart disease were randomly divided into two groups, i.e. an acupuncture plus medication group (67 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a medication group (67 cases, 4 cases dropped off). The routine western medication was used according to symptoms in the patients of both groups. In the acupuncture plus medication group, on the base of medication, acupuncture was applied to Jianshi (PC 5), Quchi (LI 11), Neiguan (PC 6), etc. The needles were retained for 20 min in each treatment and 3 treatments of acupuncture were required weekly. The treatment was given consecutively for 8 weeks in the two groups. Separately, before and after treatment, the symptom scores of TCM were observed and the indexes were detected, including glycolipid metabolism [fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h plasma glucose (2hPG), glucosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), triacylglycerol (TG) and total cholesterol (TC)], islet β cell function [homeostasis model assessment-β (HOMA-β), homeostasis model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR), fasting insulin (FINS) and insulin sensitivity index (ISI)], cardiac function indexes [cardiac output (CO), early diastolic peak velocity/late diastolic peak velocity (E/A), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)], as well as electrocardiogram QT dispersion (QTd). Besides, the clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups. After treatment, the TCM symptom scores and the values of FPG, 2hPG, HbA1c, TG, TC, HOMA-IR, FINS, E/A and LVEDD as well as QTd were all lower than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the levels of the above-mentioned indexes in the acupuncture plus medication group were all lower than those in the medication group (P<0.05). The values of HOMA-β, ISI, CO and LVEF after treatment were higher than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the levels of the above-mentioned indexes in the acupuncture plus medication group were all higher than those in the medication group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 93.8% (60/64) in the acupuncture plus medication group, higher than 79.4% (50/63) in the medication group (P<0.05). The combined therapy of acupuncture and medication is effective in treatment of T2DM complicated with angina pectoris of coronary heart disease. Such therapy effectively improves glucolipid metabolism, islet β cell function, cardiac function and myocardial blood supply. Its curative effect is better than the simple administration of western medicine.