ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD) in combination with short-term intensive insulin treatment on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) of dampness-heat syndrome and its influence on dosage of insulin used.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The GQD group (n = 14) was treated by GQD and insulin, while the conventional group (n = 16) was given insulin intensive treatment alone.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the GQD group, the treatment was markedly effective in 5 patients, effective in 6 and ineffective in 3, the total effective rate being 78.6%, much better than that in the conventional group (2, 7, 7 and 56.3% respectively, u = 2.58, P < 0.01). And it took less time for controlling blood glucose (BG) in the GQD group (4.54 +/- 0.50 days) than that in the conventional group (5.31 +/- 0.57 days, P <0.01); furthermore, by the end of the treatment course, as compared with that at the time just after BG being controlled, the daily average insulin dosage used in the GQD group reduced by 9.07 +/- 6.51 U, while it was only 4.38 +/- 5.94 U in the conventional group, showing significant difference between them (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Based on short-term insulin intensive treatment, the combined using of GQD could reduce the dosage of insulin used and shows better clinical curative effect for patients with T2DM of dampness-heat syndrome.</p>