Incipient Diabetes Treated with Long-Term Classical Prescription

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) belongs to the progressive and irreversible disease. With the development of the disease, the function of beta cells declines significantly. Current treatments cannot reverse the course of the disease. The role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the DM treatment has been recognized widely, while there are few long-term observation reports. In this study, we introduced a case of DM treated by classical prescription alone for 10 years, which would provide the reference for clinical practice. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old male complained of a 2-month history of dry mouth, frequent urination, and blurred vision and found increased blood glucose for 3 days. The patient's glycated hemoglobin was 14.2%, fasting plasma glucose fluctuated at 12-15 mmol/L, and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) was 32.9 μg/min. The male was treated with 10 years of continuous classical prescription alone. After 3 months of TCM treatment, the patient's blood glucose level decreased significantly and blurred vision symptoms improved. With continued TCM treatment, his UAER normalized. Subsequently, he continued outpatient consultation, and his TCM prescription was adjusted according to clinical symptoms. After 10 years of continuous TCM treatment, his blood glucose remained stable, urinary microalbumin quantitation showed no abnormalities, and blurred vision disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: This case provides specific treatment plans and effective references for long-term control of blood glucose, prevention and treatment of diabetes complications, delay of disease progression, and protection of impaired islet function in the treatment of diabetes with TCM. TCM may become a meaningful alternative DM treatment in the future.