ACUPUNCTURE IN THE PROPHYLAXIS OF RECURRENT LOWER URINARY-TRACT INFECTION IN ADULT WOMEN

Objective - To evaluate the effect of acupuncture in the prevention of recurrent lower urinary tract infection (Un) in adult women. Design - A controlled clinical trial with three arms: an acupuncture group, a sham-acupuncture group, and an untreated control group. Patients were followed for 6 months. Setting-An acupuncture clinic in Bergen, Norway . Subjects - Sixty-seven adult women with a history of recurrent lower UTI. Main outcome measures-Acute lower UTIs during the 6-month observ ation period. Results-Eighty-five percent were free of lower UTI durin g the 6-month observation period in the acupuncture group, compared wi th 58% in the sham group (p < 0.05), and 36% in the control group (p < 0.01). There were half as many episodes of lower UTI per person-half- year in the acupuncture group as in the sham group, and a third as man y as in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion - Acupuncture seems a worthwhile alternative in the prevention of recurring lower UTI in wo men.