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

Abstract

Objectives. As a urinary dysfunction disorder, stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is more common in women than in men. Acupuncture, a traditional minimally invasive technique, has potential efficacy in the treatment of SUI. The purpose of this overview is to critically assess the available evidence on acupuncture for the treatment of SUI in women. Methods. Two researchers searched seven databases for systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses (MAs) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for SUI. Two researchers assessed the included SRs/MAs using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), the Risk of Bias in Systematic (ROBIS) scale, the list of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Results. Eight published SRs/MAs were included in our overview. According to the results of the AMSTAR-2 assessment, all SRs/MAs were of very low quality. According to the ROBIS evaluation results, no SR/MA was assessed as low risk of bias. According to the results of the PRISMA checklist assessment, no SR/MA was fully reported on the checklist. According to GRADE, a total of 27 outcomes extracted from the included SRs/MAs were evaluated, and only 1 was rated as high quality. Conclusions. Acupuncture may be an effective and safe complementary treatment for SUI in women. However, further standard and comprehensive SRs/MAs and RCTs are needed to provide an evidence-based medical rationale for this.

Research trends of acupuncture therapy on stress urinary incontinence from 1992 to 2022: A bibliometric analysis

“…Thus, there is a pressing need for multi-national cooperation. Since the recent meta-analysis and overviews [ 18 , 19 ] are calling for more high-quality papers, it is estimated that with more high-quality randomized clinical trials like the one published in JAMA [ 20 ], the paper's influence may be elevated. The other three countries in the top 5 were Germany, Japan, and the UK.…”

“…“Randomized controlled trial” was the main research method [ 61 , 62 ]. And the “efficacy” or “effectiveness” of all therapies has become hot and the latest topic in the study of acupuncture therapy on SUI as we predicted [ 8 , 19 , 29 ]. Liu Z (Liu ZS) was the most influential and productive author who was especially dedicated to the study of the efficacy of electroacupuncture in the recent decade [ 20 ].…”

Quality of the Evidence Supporting the Role of Acupuncture Interventions for Vascular Dementia

“…The methodology of this study followed the Cochrane Handbook guidelines as well as some high-quality overviews. 13 , 14 …”

Harninkontinenz

“…In einer Literaturrecherche waren die Ergebnisse mit und ohne Elektrostimulation nach einem halben Jahr statistisch jedoch nicht signifikant unterschiedlich [28]. Weiterhin gibt es Hinweise, dass die Akupunktur bei belastungsinkontinenten Frauen als komplementäre Behandlungsmaßnahme erfolgreich eingesetzt werden kann [29].…”