Acupuncture for Treatment of Overactive Bladder

Abstract

Overactive bladder (OAB) is defined as bladder storage dysfunction, which results in a frequent and sudden urge to urinate. OAB is a prevalent disorder, and its symptoms have a detrimental effect on health-related quality of life and increase social problems. Treatment of OAB includes first-line behavioral therapies and second-line anti-muscarinic drugs. However, the rate of drug discontinuation due to drug side effects is high. Acupuncture is considered an effective therapy to suppress contractions and excessive detrusor muscle activity, improve bladder adaptation, maintain normal urination, and improve pathological changes in bladder tissue based on several preclinical and clinical investigations. Therefore, as one of the complementary and alternative medicine methods, acupuncture can play a pivotal role in the treatment of patients with OAB.

Keywords

• acupuncture
• overactive bladder
• urinary incontinence
• treatment