Acupuncture appeared to be beneficial for treatment and prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections.
Systematic Review Bladder Conditions Urinary Tract Infection Women's Health
Five RCTs involving 341 participants were included. Methodological quality of studies and strength of the evidence were low to moderate. The chance of achieving a composite cure with acupuncture therapies was greater than that with antibiotics. The risk of UTI recurrence was lower with acupuncture than with no treatment and sham acupuncture.
Acupuncture appeared to be beneficial for treatment and prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections, noting the limitations of the current evidence. Given the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance, there is a need for high-quality RCTs of non-pharmacological interventions such as acupuncture.
View Article