Acupuncture relieves symptoms of chronic prostatitis, pelvic pain syndrome

Twenty sessions of acupuncture over 8 weeks lead to greater improvements in symptoms of moderate-to-severe chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), with long-lasting effects 24 weeks after treatment, as compared with sham therapy, a study has shown.

This multicentre, randomized, sham-controlled trial was conducted in 10 tertiary hospitals in China. A total of 440 men with moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS were randomly assigned to either 20 sessions of acupuncture (n=220) or sham therapy (n=220) over 8 weeks, with 24-week follow-up after treatment.

The primary endpoint was the number of responders or participants who achieved a clinically important reduction of at least 6 points from baseline on the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index at weeks 8 and 32. Establishment of sustained efficacy required the between-group difference to be statistically significant at both time points.

The proportion of responders at week 8 were 60.6 percent (95 percent CI, 53.7–67.1) in the acupuncture group and 36.8 percent (95 percent CI, 30.4–43.7) in the sham therapy group (adjusted difference, 21.6 percentage points, 95 percent CI, 12.8–30.4; adjusted odds ratio, 2.6, 95 percent CI, 1.8–4.0; p<0.001).

At week 32, the proportions were 61.5 percent (95 percent CI, 54.5–68.1) and 38.3 percent (95 percent CI, 31.7–45.4) in the acupuncture and sham groups, respectively (adjusted difference, 21.1 percentage points, 95 percent CI, 12.2–30.1; adjusted odds ratio, 2.6, 95 percent CI, 1.7–3.9; p<0.001).

Twenty (9.1 percent) adverse events were reported in the acupuncture group and 14 in the sham therapy group. No serious adverse events were reported.

The study was limited by sham therapy that might have had certain physiologic effects.