Acupuncture as a treatment choice for persistent chronic bacterial prostatitis-related symptoms: A pilot study

Background and Aim: In several chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) cases, symptoms persist despite bacterial eradication. Since acupuncture has been shown to ameliorate the symptoms of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, it may be an effective treatment option for clinically untreated CBP cases. In order to investigate the above hypothesis, we performed a pilot study. Methods: Patients with persistent CBP-related symptoms and confirmed bacterial eradication were randomly allocated to acupuncture or conventional medical treatment. Symptom burden was assessed at baseline, weeks 4 and 12. Eight patients received 30-min sessions of acupuncture twice weekly for 1 month (Group 1), ten patients received lornoxicam 8 mg orally once daily for 1 month (Group 2), eight patients received Serenoa repens (SR) 320 mg twice daily for 1 month (Group 3), and nine patients received pregabalin 25 mg twice daily for 1 month (Group 4). The primary outcome is the proportion of responders at week 4 with significant change from baseline in the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) total score and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) at week 4. Secondary outcomes included ratings of clinical pain (visual analog scale) and quality of life at week 12. Results: At week 4, no statistically significant differences in the mean decrease of NIH-CPSI and IPSS total scores from baseline among groups were noted. After 12 weeks, none of the participants experienced complete resolution of pain. Differences in the mean pain and quality of life levels were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Acupuncture is an effective treatment option for persistent CBP-related pain however is inferior to conventional medical treatment in reducing CBP-related lower urinary tract symptoms. For this reason, it may be offered in combination with medical therapy in patients with combined symptoms.