Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of combined auricular acupoint pressing and intradermal acupuncture in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and insomnia. METHODS: A retrospective study selected 122 such patients, divided into a control group (60 patients with basic diabetes treatment) and an observation group (62 patients with basic treatment plus auricular acupoint pressing and intradermal acupuncture). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), quality of life assessment, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and serum indicators including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and norepinephrine (NE) were measured. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 26.0. RESULTS: In the control group, pre - treatment blood glucose of 7.84±1.89 mmol/L decreased to 7.78±1.76 mmol/L post - treatment (P<0.05). PSQI score dropped from 11.69±2.74 to 8.07±2.86 (P<0.05), with a 75.00% effective rate. In the observation group (n=62), blood glucose decreased from 8.43±2.17 to 6.96±1.68 mmol/L (P<0.05). PSQI score declined from 11.63±2.16 to 6.38±2.32 (P<0.05), and the effective rate was 90.32% (P<0.05 vs control group). CONCLUSION: The combined treatment of auricular acupoint pressing and intradermal acupuncture has potential in treating these patients. But due to the retrospective nature of the study, well - designed RCTs and in - depth mechanistic studies are needed to confirm its efficacy and clarify the mechanisms.