The effect of prophylactic acupuncture treatment in women with recurrent cystitis; kidney patients fare better

Alraek T, Baerheim A

Section for General Practice, Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Norway

Objective

This study evaluates how the effect of acupuncture treatment in recurrent cystitis relates to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnostic categories and physiological measurements.

Materials and methods

Ninety-eight cystitis-prone women were randomised to acupuncture treatment or no treatment. Main effect parameter was number of cystitis attacks during 6 months’ observation time. Residual urine was measured at baseline, 2, 4 and 6 months.

Results

Twenty-three had Spleen yang/qi xu (Sp), 18 Kid yang/qi xu (Kid) and 18 Liver qi stagnation (Liv). Of the Kid group 78% were free of cystitis (irrespective of bacteriuria) during observation period, compared with 43% in the Sp group, 44% in the Liv group (P ≤ 0.05, Kid vs. Sp and Liv) and 17% in non-treated group. The incidence rate (cystitis rate per person per month) was 0.12 for Kid, 0.43 for Sp, 0.39 for Liv and 0.69 for no treatment. The incidence rate ratio for Kid vs. no treatment was 0.17 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04–0.74], e.g. the frequency of cystitis was reduced to 1/5 compared with no treatment; Sp vs. no treatment was 0.62 (95% CI 0.28–1.39) and Liv vs. no treatment was 0.57 (95% CI 0.24–1.37). Kidney patients had only half as much residual urine at 6 months (P ≤ 0.05 v. baseline) compared with patients in Sp and Liv groups. Residual urine remained unchanged among non-treated patients.

Conclusion

In the prevention of recurrent cystitis in women, patients diagnosed with Kidney yang/qi xu seem to have better treatment outcome than patients with other TCM diagnoses.

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