Study on spa therapy for diabetic vascular diseases

The aim of the Shandon Medical University study was to investigate the effect of complementary spa therapy on arterial occlusive disease of the lower extremities(AVD) in diabetes.

128 patients with type II diabetes were divided into three groups according to the degree of vascular stenosis in the lower extremities. Within each group, patients were randomly assigned to a control group (no treatment) or a treatment group (spa therapy). Clinical symptoms, blood pressure and hemodynamic analyses were compared between the groups using a chi-square or t-test.

After the complementary spa therapy, the patients'pain, numbness and sensation of coldimproved significantly compared to the control group. In addition, spa therapy significantly increased dorsalis pedis pulse and peak systolic velocity ratio in patients with mild lower extremity vascular stenosis. In contrast, there were no significant differences between the groups in patients with moderate or severe stenosis. In both groups (spa and control group), there were no significant changes in fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin before and after treatment.

Complementary spa therapy can significantly relieve pain, numbness and cold sensation in patients with diabetic AVC and lower extremity stenosis. In addition, it improvesdorsalis pedis pulse and peak systolic velocity ratio in patients with mild stenosis, indicating a potential role for spa therapy as an early intervention to treat the initial stages of disease .