title: A systematic review and meta-analysis of type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment based on the "three-typed syndrome differentiation" theory in Chinese medicine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of "Three-Typed Syndrome Differentiation" (TTSD) in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review and meta-analysis was done based on the clinical diabetes treatment literature of the "TTSD". Overseas databases like the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials, and China databases like China Biology Medicine Disc (CBM), Chinese national Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, and VIP database, without limitation on language, were included with the time limitation from Jan 1982 to Dec 2012 by retrieval of relative original clinical research articles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen articles where contains 1,840 diabetes patients were obtained, in which no adverse reactions were reported. Of these, 14 literatures involved the effect of fasting blood glucose (FBG), 10 involved that of postprandial 2-h blood glucose (P2hBG), and 19 involved the overall efficacy based on the national Chinese medicine (CM) diagnosis and treatment standard of diabetes. All the meta-analysis results prefer to the "TTSD" groups (CM+Western medicine Based on TTSD). The results show that, beside the efficacy of Western medicine, the concentrations of FBG and P2hBG in "TTSD" groups continue to drop with statistical significance. For "TTSD" groups, the FBG subsequently dropped 1.03 mmol/L, 95%CI [1.24,0.82] P <0.00001), the P2hBG subsequently dropped 1.09 mmol/L, 95% CI [1.61, 0.57] (P <0.0001), and the overall efficacies benefit 3.46 times those of Western medicine alone, 95% CI [2.67,4.48] (P <0.00001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CM by the diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes based on TTSD might be safe and effective, and could better improve both blood glucose and the overall status of patients, including symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Jun-ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D019518:Postprandial Period; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 2010 Mar 25;362(12):1090-101
references.pmid: 20335585