Electroacupuncture for moderate and severe benign prostatic hyperplasia: a randomized controlled trial.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Integrative Medicine
• Acupuncture Research

Background:

• Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition affecting men.
• Current treatments for BPH have limitations and side effects.
• Electroacupuncture (EA) is being explored as a novel therapeutic approach for BPH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) in improving International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), postvoid residual urine (PVR), and maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) in patients with moderate to severe BPH.
• To compare the therapeutic effects of EA applied at specific acupoints versus non-acupoints in BPH patients.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 100 male patients with BPH and IPSS ≥8.
• Participants were assigned to either EA at acupoint (treatment group) or EA at non-acupoint (control group).
• Primary outcome was the change in IPSS at 6 weeks; secondary outcomes included changes in PVR and Qmax at 6 weeks, and IPSS at 18 weeks.

Main Results:

• The treatment group showed a significantly greater reduction in IPSS at 6 weeks (4.51 points, p<0.001) and 18 weeks (3.2 points, p=0.001) compared to the control group.
• No significant differences were observed between the groups for Qmax at 6 weeks (p=0.819) or PVR (p=0.35).

Conclusions:

• EA at acupoint BL 33 demonstrates superior effectiveness in improving IPSS compared to non-acupoint EA in BPH patients.
• EA is effective in enhancing the quality of life for individuals with BPH.
• Acupoint-specific EA may offer enhanced therapeutic benefits over non-acupoint stimulation for BPH management.