Electroacupuncture benefits urinary incontinence and is safe to use

Introductin and hypothesis: Mixed urinary incontinence comprises a combination of urgency and stress. The efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for the treatment of mixed urinary incontinence remain unclear.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture in treating mixed urinary incontinence.

Methods: We searched PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science, four Chinese databases, clinical research registration platforms, grey literature, and the reference lists of the selected studies. Risk of bias and quality were evaluated using the Revman 5.4 and Jadad scores. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15.1 software. Trial sequential analysis was used to assess the stability of the results.

Results: Eight randomized controlled trials comprising 847 patients were included. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with antimuscarinic drugs plus pelvic floor muscle training, electroacupuncture resulted in significantly less pad weight on the 1-h pad test and statistically significantly lower severity scores on the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form.

The change in the 72-h incontinence episode frequency difference was not statistically significant, and there was no outcome of overall response rate and quality of life in this meta-analysis. Few adverse events occurred in the electroacupuncture group. The trial sequential analysisresults suggested that the result of change from baseline in the 1-h pad test was stable and the evidence was conclusive.

Conclusions: Electroacupuncture could be a potential treatment option for mixed urinary incontinence and is relatively safe. 

Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35088093/

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About Attilio

Doctor of Chinese medicine, acupuncture expert and author of My Fertility Guide and My Pregnancy Guide.

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