A Case Report of Diabetes Diagnosis and Integrative Treatment in a Patient with Dysgeusia and Fatigue

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by insufficient insulin secretion or ineffective insulin utilization, leading to hyperglycemia. Major diagnostic criteria include HbA1c ≥6.5%, fasting blood glucose ≥126 mg/dL, or a random blood glucose level ≥200 mg/dL, with typical symptoms of polyuria, polydipsia, and unexplained weight loss. DM is classified into type 1, involving absolute insulin deficiency due to pancreatic β-cell destruction, and type 2, arising from insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Hyperglycemia-related symptoms, such as polyuria and polydipsia, result from increased glucose excretion and associated dehydration, often accompanied by fatigue and weight loss due to elevated catabolism.Case summary: A patient diagnosed with DM was treated with acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, and insulin therapy. Symptom severity was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), and blood glucose levels were monitored regularly. After treatment, the VAS scores for each symptom decreased.Conclusion: Diabetes was diagnosed in a patient with dysgeusia and fatigue, which are atypical symptoms. Even though HbA1c was 17.5%, there was a rapid effect of improving the patient’s symptoms through Baekhogainsam-tang-gami decoction and insulin therapy, without diabetic acute complications. However, the limitation remains that objective indicators are insufficient when evaluating treatment progress. Therefore, in future studies, objective evaluation methods are needed, and further research design, including prospective studies, are necessary to clarify the clinical effects and indications.