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Overactive Bladder
1: Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Jul;106(1):138-43. Related Articles,
Links
Acupuncture for
overactive bladder: a randomized controlled trial.
Emmons SL, Otto L.
Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland,
Oregon; and Providence Continence Center, Providence St. Vincent Medical
Center, Portland, Oregon.
OBJECTIVE: To compare acupuncture treatment for overactive
bladder with urge incontinence with a placebo acupuncture treatment.
METHODS:
Eighty-five women enrolled in this randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Women
were randomly assigned to either receive an acupuncture treatment expected to
improve their bladder symptoms, or a placebo acupuncture treatment designed to
promote relaxation. They underwent cystometric testing, completed a 3-day
voiding diary, and completed the urinary distress inventory and incontinence
impact questionnaire, validated quality-of-life inventories, before and after 4
weekly acupuncture treatments. The primary endpoint was number of incontinent
episodes over 3 days. Secondary endpoints included voiding frequency and
urgency, cystometric bladder capacity, maximum voided volume, and the urinary
distress inventory and incontinence impact questionnaire symptom scores.
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RESULTS: Seventy-four women completed all aspects of the study. Women in both
treatment and placebo groups had significant decreases in number of incontinent
episodes (59% for treatment, 40% for placebo) without a significant difference
in the change between the groups. Women in the treatment group had a 14%
reduction in urinary frequency (P = .013), a 30% reduction in the proportion of
voids associated with urgency (P = .016), and a 13% increase in both maximum
voided volume and maximum cystometric capacity (P = .01). Both groups also had
an improvement in the urinary distress inventory and incontinence impact
questionnaire scores (54% decrease for treatment, 30% decrease for placebo, P
< .001 for the difference in change between the groups).
CONCLUSION: Women
who received 4 weekly bladder-specific acupuncture treatments had significant
improvements in bladder capacity, urgency, frequency, and quality-of-life
scores as compared with women who received placebo acupuncture treatments.
Level of Evidence: I.
PMID: 15994629 [PubMed - in process]
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