Long-term clinical effect of Tangyiping Granules () on patients with impaired glucose tolerance.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the long-term clinical effect of Tangyiping Granules (, TYP) on patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to achieve normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and hence preventing them from conversion to diabetes mellitus (DM).


METHODS
In total, 127 participants with IGT were randomly assigned to the control (63 cases, 3 lost to follow-up) and treatment groups (64 cases, 4 lost to follow-up) according to the random number table. The control group received lifestyle intervention alone, while the patients in the treatment group took orally 10 g of TYP twice daily in addition to lifestyle intervention for 12 weeks. The rates of patients achieving NGT or experiencing conversion to DM as main outcome measure were observed at 3, 12, and 24 months after TYP treatment. The secondary outcome measures included fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting insulin (FINS), 2-h insulin (2hINS), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), blood lipid and patients' complains of Chinese medicine (CM) symptoms before and after treatment.


RESULTS
A higher proportion of the treatment group achieved NGT compared with the control group after 3-, 12- and 24-month follow-up (75.00% vs. 43.33%, 58.33% vs. 35.00%, 46.67% vs. 26.67%, respectively, P<0.05). The IGT to DM conversion rate of the treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group at the end of 24-month follow-up (16.67% vs. 31.67%, P<0.05). Before treatment, FPG, 2hPG, HbA1c, FINS, 2hINS, HOMA-IR, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels had no statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the 2hPG, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, and TG levels of the treatment group decreased significantly compared with those of the control group (P<0.05). CM symptoms such as exhaustion, irritability, chest tightness and breathless, spontaneous sweating, constipation, and dark thick and greasy tongue were significantly improved in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). No severe adverse events occurred.


CONCLUSIONS
TYP administered at the IGT stage with a disciplined lifestyle delayed IGT developing into type 2 DM.
Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
Yan-Qin
YQ
Huang
Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
Qing-Feng
QF
Yang
Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
Hua
H
Wang
Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250001, China. xys65@126.com.
Yun-Sheng
YS
Xu
Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
Wei
W
Peng
Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China.
Yue-Hua
YH
Jiang
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; C000614441:tangyiping
Chinese medicine; Tangyiping Granules; conversion of impaired glucose tolerance; long-term clinical effect