Acupuncture for the treatment of overactive bladder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Acupuncture (AT) successfully regulates overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. However, previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have not provided sufficient evidence. This review presents the current evidence of the efficacy of AT in the management of OAB symptoms. Methods and analyses: A total of 12 databases were searched from their inception: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and AMED databases; five Korean medical databases; and three Chinese medical databases. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment were independently performed by two researchers. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. RevMan 5.4.1 software was used for data aggregation, and the Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment was used to evaluate the quality of the study outcomes. Results: A total of 30 studies were included in this review. Compared with the sham AT group, the AT group exhibited significant effects in reducing overactive bladder symptom scores (OABSS) [mean difference (MD): -1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.01 to -0.26, Conclusion: AT had more favorable effects than sham AT in reducing OAB symptoms. AT improved OAB symptoms as effectively as conventional drug therapy, and the combination of AT and drug therapy had more favorable effects than drug therapy alone. However, more rigorous studies are needed to enhance the level of evidence. Systematic review registration: http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42014010377, identifier: PROSPERO [CRD42014010377].