Integrative Chinese herbal medicine therapy reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: A nationwide matched cohort study

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects 5%–10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. Patients with PCOS have a high degree of insulin resistance and are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The currently available therapeutic approaches for PCOS mainly focus on symptomatic treatment. This study aimed to determine whether Chinese herbal medicine (CMH)-based interventions could reduce the risk of T2DM in PCOS patients. This retrospective study randomly selected 1 million enrollees from the National Health Insurance Database and identified 3797 patients who were newly diagnosed with PCOS in 1997–2010. After 1:1 frequency-matched by age, diagnosis of PCOS year and index days, we selected 342 eligible patients in each group. The incidence of T2DM in the CHM group was significantly lower than that in the non-CHM group (hazard ratio = 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.15–0.64; p = 0.0014) after a mean follow-up period of 5.2 years (4.20 years for the comparison cohort). Five herbal formulas and two single herbs showed protective effects, and Paeonia lactiflora was a common ingredient in the five formulas. Thus, CHM may help prevent T2DM-related complications in patients with PCOS. Further clinical and pharmacological analysis based on these findings is expected in the future. [Display omitted]