The current treatment model for recurring urinary tract infections leads to antibiotic resistance in the subjects. Thus, the study aims at understanding the efficiency of acupuncture in women with uncomplicated recurring UTI (rUTI).
The study used data for nine databases, namely Wanfang, CNKI, CBM, CQVIP, AMED, CENTRAL, PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase. The studies from the beginning of the database to Feb 2019 were the primary data. The researchers used RCT (randomized controlled trials) to understand the efficiency of acupuncture and other related treatments for uncomplicated rUTI or prophylaxis.
Five trials covering 341 subjects were conducted. The results indicate that the chances of composite cure using acupuncture are higher than methods involving antibiotics. The recurrence risks were higher in subjects who underwent antibiotic treatment than those who took acupuncture, even without additional treatment.
The study shows that it is efficient to use acupuncture to treat and reduce the frequency of recurring urinary tract infections. However, the strength of the evidence of this study is between low and moderate. Given the increasing antibiotic resistance cases, it is important to conduct high-efficient RCT for non-pharmacological interventions like acupuncture on rUTI.
Ref: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-0528.16315
