Clinical Efficacy Evaluation of Electroacupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Female Patients With Overactive Bladder

June 3, 2025 updated by: Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation

Overactive bladder (OAB) is often accompanied by frequent urination and nocturia, and does not necessarily manifest as urge incontinence. Urgency to urinate and frequent urination can lead to psychological burdens, affect interpersonal relationships and reduce women's quality of life.

Treatment of OAB includes lifestyle changes, behavioral therapy, drug therapy, neuromodulation, botulinum toxin therapy, and surgical intervention. At present, anticholinergic drugs are usually the first-line treatment for OAB, but the side effects of dry mouth often lead to poor patient compliance.

Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) is a minimally invasive neuromodulation technique. Past studies have confirmed that PTNS has clinical efficacy in treating symptoms related to overactive bladder, while TCM's electroacupuncture is similar to PTNS. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the specific acupoints in accordance with traditional Chinese medicine theory in women with OAB under conventional Western medicine treatment to evaluate the improvement of women's related urinary tract symptoms, quality of life and autonomic nervous system function.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Overactive bladder (OAB) is often accompanied by frequent urination and nocturia, and does not necessarily manifest as urge incontinence. Urgency to urinate and frequent urination can lead to psychological burdens, affect interpersonal relationships and reduce women's quality of life.

Treatment of OAB includes lifestyle changes, behavioral therapy, drug therapy, neuromodulation, botulinum toxin therapy, and surgical intervention. At present, anticholinergic drugs are usually the first-line treatment for OAB, but the side effects of dry mouth often lead to poor patient compliance.

Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) is a minimally invasive neuromodulation technique. Past studies have confirmed that PTNS has clinical efficacy in treating symptoms related to overactive bladder, while TCM's electroacupuncture is similar to PTNS. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the specific acupoints in accordance with traditional Chinese medicine theory in women with OAB under conventional Western medicine treatment to evaluate the improvement of women's related urinary tract symptoms, quality of life and autonomic nervous system function.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • New Taipei City, Taiwan
        • Recruiting
        • Buddhist Taipei Tzu Chi General Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female patient aged 20-80 with overactive bladder.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient has history of cancer, stroke, or hyperthyroidism..
  • Patient isn't willing to accept acupuncture or moxibustion treatment.
  • Patient who is pregnant or plan to pregnant.
  • Patient with urinary tract infection.
  • Patient who had injection of botulinum toxin (Botox®), PTNS or SMN treatment before.
  • Patient recieved acupuncture treatment before.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Electroacupuncture group

The Electroacupuncture group received electroacupuncture at Baihui(GV20), bilateral Sanyinjiao(SP-6) and Fuliu points(KP-7).20 minutes of acupuncture.

Twice a week.
Device: electroacupuncture
Electroacupuncture is a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles. According to some acupuncturists, this practice augments the use of regular acupuncture, can restore health and well-being, and is particularly good for treating pain.
Placebo Comparator: Sham acupuncture group
The control group received placebo acupuncture.Except for placebo acupuncture, which won't penetrate the skin, the rest is the same as the Electroacupuncture group.
Device: sham acupuncture
Acupuncture does not penetrate the skin, and the electroacupuncture machine is not plugged in.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Urinary tract related questionnair
Time Frame: Study spans 8 weeks: initial data collection, biweekly collections, 1-week break after 6 weeks, final collection in week 8. 5 questionnaire rounds in total. Proposed timeline.
Measuring OAB scores to record the differ between two groups and time.Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome.
Study spans 8 weeks: initial data collection, biweekly collections, 1-week break after 6 weeks, final collection in week 8. 5 questionnaire rounds in total. Proposed timeline.
King's Health Quality of Life Questionnaire(KHQ)
Time Frame: Study spans 8 weeks: initial data collection, biweekly collections, 1-week break after 6 weeks, final collection in week 8. 5 questionnaire rounds in total. Proposed timeline.
Measuring KHQ scores to record the differ between two groups and time.Higher scores indicate more significant impact of bladder-related issues on quality of life.
Study spans 8 weeks: initial data collection, biweekly collections, 1-week break after 6 weeks, final collection in week 8. 5 questionnaire rounds in total. Proposed timeline.
Heart rate variability(HRV)
Time Frame: Study spans 8 weeks: initial data collection, biweekly collections, 1-week break after 6 weeks, final collection in week 8. 5 questionnaire rounds in total. Proposed timeline.
Measuring HRV to record the differ between two groups and time.Whether the balance of the autonomic nervous system in HRV can also be used to infer the severity of OAB symptoms is also an observation target for the researchers.
Study spans 8 weeks: initial data collection, biweekly collections, 1-week break after 6 weeks, final collection in week 8. 5 questionnaire rounds in total. Proposed timeline.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Is the dose of the drug reduced?
Time Frame: Every week will record the dose that participants take.A total of 8 weeks.
We record the doses of drugs that participants take.By comparing the differences in medication dosage over the course of 8 weeks, we aim to investigate the effectiveness of the therapeutic intervention.
Every week will record the dose that participants take.A total of 8 weeks.
Are the side effects reduced?
Time Frame: Every week will record side effects of taking medicine.A total of 8 weeks.
We record participants' side effects after taking the drug.By comparing the differences in side effects over the course of 8 weeks, we aim to explore the effectiveness of the therapeutic intervention.
Every week will record side effects of taking medicine.A total of 8 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 11, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2023

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 29, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 9, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 18, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 5, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 3, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 11-XD-071

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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