Complete response to acupuncture therapy in female patients with refractory interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome

Abstract

Objectives: Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a considerable issue in urology and gynecology and unfortunately, the treatment options recommended are not fully efficient. Therefore, in this study we aimed to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients with refractory IC/BPS. Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in all of the scores evaluated at first month compared with the baseline. While the change in VAS score in 1, 3, 6 and 12 th months were found statistically significant, measurements of ICSI, OSS and PUF scores and MVV values in the 6 th and 12 th months and ICPI and PHQ scores in the 12 th month were not found statistically significant compared to the pre-treatment period. Response to treatment for the first three months after acupuncture application was (100%), but this ratio was measured as 33.3% (4/12) in the sixth month and 16.6% in the 12 th month (2/12). Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that acupuncture appears to be an effective, useful, non-invasive method in IC/BPS patients. It can be used as an appropriate treatment method not only in refractory but also in IC patients since it is rather advantageous compared to other treating agents.

Acupuntura como estratégia de redução da dor na pessoa adulta e idosa: revisão integrativa de literatura

“…É comprovado que a Acupuntura é o método de tratamento de dor mais procurado nos quadros de dor lombar. Tem resultados positivos nos tratamentos de dor quando comparado ao grupo controle (Sham Acupuncture) em diferentes etiologias de modo geral (Zucker et al, 2017;Lam et al, 2017;Sönmez & Kozanhan, 2017;Mist & Jones, 2018;Genovese & Mao, 2019;Valente et al, 2020).…”

Evaluation of the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for the prevention of mental disorders in interstitial cystitis patients

“…[ 23 , 24 ] A previous study has also reported that acupuncture is an effective treatment method in IC/BPS patients. [ 17 ] Therefore, we assumed that the positive effects of CHM and acupuncture might alleviate the psychological burden of patients with IC/BPS and subsequently decrease the risk of mental disorders. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the risk of mental disorders between IC/BPS patients with and without CHM granules or acupuncture treatment (adjusted HR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.58–1.68).…”

“…[ 16 ] Acupuncture demonstrated positive effect on bladder volume, suppressed bladder contraction, and changed the firing properties of the micturition center. [ 17 , 18 ] Despite these positive effects on urinary symptoms, clinical research regarding the effects of TCM on IC/BPS is scarce. Previous case series were often limited by ambiguous enrollment criteria and short follow-up duration.…”

An update on treatment options for interstitial cystitis

“…Similarly to physical therapy, because of safety and relatively affordability, acupuncture can be considered an option in women affected by IC/BPS based on studies suggesting the effectiveness of the technique, although the evidence is limited and more data are required [11,29,[33][34][35].…”