Summary:
In patients with diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMED) and Qi deficiency with blood stasis syndrome, moxibustion combined with low-dose tadalafil (5 mg daily) significantly improved erectile function, penile hemodynamics, and TCM symptom scores compared to moxibustion alone or tadalafil alone, though it was associated with no significant adverse effects.
| PICO | Description |
|---|---|
| Population | Ninety male patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMED) and presenting with Qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. |
| Intervention | Combined therapy of mild moxibustion at acupoints (Zusanli, Sanyinjiao, Yinlingquan) every other day and daily oral administration of 5 mg tadalafil for 4 weeks. |
| Comparison | Moxibustion alone group and tadalafil alone group (5 mg daily), each administered for 4 weeks. |
| Outcome | The combination group achieved a significantly higher total effectiveness rate (90.0%) versus moxibustion (46.7%) and tadalafil (60.0%) groups (P<0.05). Improvements in IIEF-5 and EHS scores, reductions in TCM symptom scores, increases in PSV and RI, and decreases in EDV were most prominent in the combination group, indicating enhanced erectile function and penile hemodynamics without notable adverse events. |
Source: Liu, Tao, et al. “Moxibustion combined with low-dose tadalafil for diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction: A prospective, single-center, three-arm randomized controlled trial.” Read article here.
