초록
Although Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are generally treated by western medicine, many of them strongly believe in the traditional oriental Sasang constitutional classification and depend on it for food, health supplements, and oriental medicines decision making. Sasang constitutional classification is a part of traditional Korean medicine that divides people into four constitutional types (Tae-Yang: TY, Tae-Eum: TE, So-Yang: SY, and So-Eum: SE), which differ in inherited characteristics such as appearance, personality traits, susceptibility to diseases, and drug responses. It is recommended for T2DM patients to control their blood glucose very well from early stages with drugs and diet. However, many T2DM patients respond differently to their drugs, even though they receive the same medicine. Therefore, the present study investigated whether Sasang constitutional type can explain the therapeutic differences between oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) therapy (mono, dual and triple drug therapy). Patients of 618 with T2DM diagnosis and Sasang constitutional type known who received both western and oriental medicine treatment in a hospital between April 2006 and April 2013 retrospectively studied. HbA1c (%) and blood glucose (mg/dl) levels before OHAs therapy and 3 month after were collected for metformin (MET) or sulfonylurea (SU) monotherapy, MET+SU dual therapy, MET+except SU (where was either alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, meglitinide or thiazolidinedione) dual therapy, and triple therapy, according to Sasang constitutional type. For statistical analysis, ANOVA was used and paired t-test by SPSS 19.0 where P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Pattern was similar levels of HbA1c and blood glucose and which was decreased in order of mono, MET+SU dual, MET+except SU dual and triple therapy. In all patients comparison, for the So-yang (SY) constitutional type, either monotherapy was less effective; for Te-eum (TE) type, MET+SU dual therapy was less effective while MET+except SU dual therapy was more effective and the triple therapy was less effective; and for So-eum (SE) type, the triple therapy was more effective. For the management of TE type it is recommended to use drugs except SU when dual therapy is needed, restrict triple therapy and consider dual and insulin therapy; for SY type it is recommended to follow current guidelines; and for SE type it is advisable to skip dual therapy and start the triple therapy early. Finally, the therapeutic response to OHAs is different among Korean T2DM patients with different Sasang constitutional types. Taken together, the choice of effective OHAs therapy for each type is necessary in order to minimize the poor control of blood glucose level, the risk of complications, and the costs from a failure of therapy.