Is electroacupuncture safe and effective for treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is prevalent worldwide, particularly among elderly women. Although electroacupuncture (EA) has been accepted by many patients and physicians in Asia, its efficacy for SUI has not been evaluated scientifically and systematically. We aimed to conduct a systematic evaluation of the efficacy and safety of EA treatment for women with SUI. Methods We retrieved publications up to February 2019 from seven databases. Randomized controlled trials for women with SUI treated by EA were included. Therapeutic effect, 1-hour urine leakage and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form (ICIQ-SF) scores were the primary outcomes. The Cochrane Collection’s RevMan 5.3 software was used to pool data. Results The 15 included articles demonstrated that EA for SUI was effective (odds ratio [OR], confidence interval [CI] = 5.64, 4.19–7.59; Ι2 = 22%). ICIQ-SF scores increased (standard mean difference, CI = −0.48, −0.62 to −0.33; Ι2 = 32%) and 1-hour urine leakage decreased (OR, CI = −4.14, −4.96 to −3.33; Ι2 = 78%) in patients undergoing EA compared with those receiving sham EA, physical exercise or medication. Conclusion EA for women with SUI exhibited significant efficacy and safety for key outcomes.

Regarding ‘effect of additional acupuncture to pelvic floor exercise on urinary incontinence’ Wan OYK et al. (2022): Neurourol Urodyn

“…According to this review, ICIQ-SF scores increased, and 1-h urine leakage decreased in patients who underwent electroacupuncture compared with those receiving sham electroacupuncture, physical exercise, or medication. 11 As a result, the present study has exciting results, and promising evidence is accumulating that acupuncture can be effective in the treatment of UI. The results also can contribute to understanding the acupuncture treatment's modulation effect in UI.…”

A Critical Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Acupuncture for Female Stress Urinary Incontinence

“…Regarding the methodological quality of the included SRs/MAs, all were considered to be of very low quality because more than one key item was missing from the SRs/MAs included in the quality assessment. Methodological quality limitations come from the following items: Items 2 (Only 2 SRs/MAs [ 19 , 20 ] registered the research protocol), Item 4 (None of the SR/MA performed a comprehensive literature search), Item 7 (None of the SR/MA provided studies excluded from the list), and Item 10 (None of the SR/MA reported the funding of RCTs included in SRs/MAs). The evaluation details of the included SRs/MAs on the AMSTAR-2 are shown in Table 4 .…”

“…In Domain 3, 6 SRs/MAs [ 18 – 22 , 25 ] were rated as low risk of bias. Domain 4 assessed the synthesis and findings, and only 2 SRs/MAs [ 19 , 23 ] were rated as low risk of bias. Phase 3 considered the overall risk of bias in the reviews, and none of the SR/MA had a low risk of bias.…”

“…Details of outcomes included in SRs/MAs are shown in Table 8 , and 2 SRs/MAs [ 19 , 20 ] provide narrative reviews that regard acupuncture as a safe treatment option. It can be seen that acupuncture is effective and safe for the treatment of female SUI.…”

Electroacupuncture stimulation modulates functional brain connectivity in the treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy: a case report

“…Many studies have suggested acupuncture to be a safe intervention for pediatric CP with no serious adverse event reported ( 6 , 45 , 46 ). Although there are no reports on the safety of EA in the treatment of CP yet, studies have confirmed its great safety on other neurological disorders ( 47 – 49 ). There are few studies comparing EA with other pharmacologic or invasive intervention.…”