Objective To analyze the effectiveness of acarbose tablets combined with insulin glargine in the treatment of elderly patients with diabetes.Methods A total of 80 elderly patients with diabetes mellitus admitted to Quanzhou Guoyu Hospital from March 2021 to February 2023 were selected as the research objects.According to different treat-ment plans,they were divided into inquiry group and general group,with 40 cases in each group.The general group was treated with insulin glargine,and the inquiry group was treated with acarbose tablets combined with insulin glargine.The effective rate of treatment,blood glucose levels before and after treatment,and incidence of adverse reac-tions were compared between the two groups.Results The effective rate of treatment in the inquiry group was 97.50%(39/40),which was higher than 77.50%(31/40)in the general group,and the difference was statistically sig-nificant(x2=7.314,P<0.05).Before treatment,there were no significant difference in blood glucose levels between the two groups(all P>0.05).After Treatment,the blood glucose levels(fasting blood glucose,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,glycated hemoglobin A1c)of the inquiry group were lower than those of the general group,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The incidence of adverse reactions in the inquiry group was 2.50%(1/40),which was lower than 25.00%(10/40)in the general group,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=8.538,P<0.05).Conclusion The effect of acarbose tablets combined with insulin glargine in the treatment of elderly diabetes mellitus is significant,which can improve the blood glucose level of patients,and the treatment safety is high.