Electroacupuncture for the Prevention of Recurrent Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Women

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Electroacupuncture for the Prevention of Recurrent Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Women

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if electroacupuncture works to prevent recurrent lower urinary tract infections in female patients. It will also learn about the safety of electroacupuncture. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does electroacupuncture reduce the attacks of acute recurrent urinary tract infections in women?
2. What medical problems do participants have when taking electroacupuncture?

Researchers will compare electroacupuncture to sham electroacupuncture to assess if electroacupuncture works to prevent recurrent lower urinary tract infections.

Participants will:

1. Take electroacupuncture or sham electroacupuncture for 30 minutes per session over a 6-month period. During the first month, treatment was administered 3 times weekly (once every other day); the second month, 2 times weekly (once every 2-3 days); and the 3-6 month, once monthly.
2. Visit the hospital at the end of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th months for follow-up evaluations.
3. Keep a diary of their symptoms and the number of times they use an antibiotic.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Female patients aged 18-75 years;
2. Meeting the diagnostic criteria for recurrent lower urinary tract infections;
3. No acute lower urinary tract infections at enrollment;
4. Voluntary participation in this trial and signed informed consent. Only patients who meet all the above inclusion criteria can be enrolled in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Currently receiving prophylactic antibiotics for lower urinary tract infection;
2. Abnormal urinary tract anatomy (e.g., urinary calculi);
3. Complicated or neurogenic genitourinary disorders, such as spinal cord injury, cauda equina injury, active pelvic inflammatory disease, active vaginitis, overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis;
4. Requiring urinary catheterization;
5. HIV infection, long-term use of immunosuppressants, infection with multidrug-resistant organisms, or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus;
6. Pelvic organ prolapses of grade 2 or above;
7. Post-void residual urine volume > 100 ml measured by B-ultrasound;
8. Lactating, pregnant, or planning to conceive within the next 6 months;
9. Implantation of a cardiac pacemaker;
10. Malignant tumor; severe cardiac, pulmonary, cerebral, hepatic, renal, or hematological diseases, mental illness, or significant cognitive impairment;
11. Previous history of electroacupuncture treatment;
12. Subjects with potential poor compliance (e.g., living far from the hospital). Patients meeting any of the above exclusion criteria shall not be enrolled in the study.