Response of glycaemic control to extravascular low level laser therapy in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of low level laser therapy (extravascular laser blood irradiation) on glycaemic levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.MethodsSixty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus lasting more than 1 year, aged 45–60 years, receiving 2 types of medication (metformin and sulphonylurea) were randomly divided into 2 equal groups. The laser group received laser therapy (low level laser therapy, 3 sessions/week for 12 weeks) combined with their prescribed hypoglycaemic medications, while the comparative group received the prescribed hypoglycaemic medications only. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, 75-g oral glucose tolerance, and fasting C-peptide were evaluated before and after the therapy in both groups, while the glycaemic level was checked before and after each laser session to determine the acute effect of laser.ResultsAll variables were tested with mixed MANOVA, with a statistical significance level at <i>p</i> < 0.05. There was a significant post-treatment decrease in HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, and oral glucose tolerance in the laser group compared with the control group (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but no significant difference for post-treatment fasting C-peptide between the groups (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Regarding the acute effect of laser, a significant decrease was observed in the blood glucose level after the laser sessions (<i>p</i> = 0.0001), with a mean difference of 22.73 mg/dl.ConclusionsThe study showed a considerable positive effect of extravascular low level laser therapy on the glycaemic levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.