title: Improvement of urge- and mixed-type incontinence after acupuncture treatment among elderly women - a pilot study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate if sensory stimulation in the form of manual acupuncture could influence urge- or mixed-type incontinence among elderly women who were not satisfactorily relieved by standard pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments given at a specialised incontinence unit. The study is an open clinical follow-up study. The study included 15 elderly women who were treated with manual acupuncture 12 times. Both subjective scorings and objective measurements in the form of leakage in grams (48 h Inco-test) were used. Evaluations were performed at discharge and 1 and 3 months thereafter. Almost all outcome measurements were significantly improved even at follow-up 3 months after the last treatment. Global scorings showed that 12 of the 15 women considered themselves improved even at the follow-up 3 month after treatments were completed. The possible mechanisms of action are discussed, as is the way to perform more studies in this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Rosenlund Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Widengren
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014554:Urination