Laser Acupuncture Alleviates Symptoms and Improves Quality of Life in Women with Overactive Bladder: A Double-Blind, Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Yu-Wei Chang; Tsia-Shu Lo; Hsin-Ning Chang; Yi-Hsien Shiao; Yuan-Chieh Yeh

doi:10.1155/2020/1705964

Laser Acupuncture Alleviates Symptoms and Improves Quality of Life in Women with Overactive Bladder: A Double-Blind, Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Apr 25:2020:1705964. doi: 10.1155/2020/1705964. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yu-Wei Chang¹, Tsia-Shu Lo^{2

3

4}, Hsin-Ning Chang^{1

5}, Yi-Hsien Shiao¹, Yuan-Chieh Yeh^{1

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Medical Center, Keelung, Taiwan.
² Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Medical Center, Keelung, Taiwan.
⁴ Chang Gung University, School of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁵ Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁶ Program in Molecular Medicine, School of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of laser acupuncture for the treatment of women with overactive bladder (OAB) in Taiwan.

Methods: A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on female patients with OAB symptoms referred from gynecologists, and subjects were divided into two groups using blocked randomization. LaserPan (RJ-Laser, Germany) was applied to seven selected acupuncture points. The subjects received laser acupuncture 3 times per week for 3 weeks, 9 sessions in total. Basic patient data, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), and Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) scores were recorded prior to first treatment and at the end of 3^rd, 6^th, and 9^th treatments.

Results: Thirty patients were enrolled, and twenty-seven patients completed all treatments in this study. The OABSS total score of the experimental group decreased significantly by 3.13 (p ≤ 0.001), 4.60 (p ≤ 0.001), and 3.79 (p ≤ 0.001) after 3^rd, 6^th, and 9^th treatments, respectively, compared with that of the control group. The IIQ-7 score declined significantly from baseline by 4.57 (p=0.003) and 3.63 (p=0.023) after 3^rd and 6^th treatments, respectively, compared with that of the control group. Similarly, the UDI-6 score of the experimental group exhibited a significant decrease from baseline by 1.90 (p=0.042) and 2.25 (p=0.025) after 6^th and 9^th interventions, respectively, compared with that of the control group.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that laser acupuncture can alleviate OAB symptoms and improve quality of life. This noninvasive device could be an effective therapy for women with OAB.