Available online 21 August 2022

Abstract

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by symptoms such as frequent urination and difficulty in urination. Currently, treatment is mainly carried out using medications and surgery, but all of these methods can lead to certain adverse effects. In this case, a ninety-year-old male elderly patient came to our acupuncture clinic for treatment of urinary tract occlusion due to BPH. According to the patient's condition, we adopted the eletroacupuncture treatment protocol of Prof. Zhanglian Wang, a famous experienced Chinese medicine doctor. After six weeks of acupuncture treatment, the patient's urinary status improved significantly. This case suggests that acupuncture may be an effective complementary alternative therapy for BPH.

Section snippetsBackground

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disorder in geriatric men. The relevant literature shows that the prevalence is 50% in men over 50 years of age. Also, the prevalence will further increase with age1. BPH is mainly manifested by lower urinary tract symptoms and can be divided into two categories: obstructive and irritative. Obstructive symptoms of BPH can be observed as urinary retention, weakness in urination, and increased duration of urination. Irritative symptoms of

Case presentation

A ninety-year-old male who had been diagnosed with BPH for more than twenty-five years came to our clinic. He reported that over the past twenty-five years, his condition had progressively worsened in terms of increased frequency of urination, weakness, obstruction of urination and incomplete urination, accompanied by abdominal distention and waist soreness. During this period, the patient was advised several times to undergo surgical treatment, but the patient refused out of fear. At the same

Acupuncture treatment

Prior to acupuncture treatment, we first learned more about the patient's condition in detail. The patient reported that he was currently unable to urinate on his own and required an indwelling catheter to assist in urination. At the same time, the patient had chronic nocturia more than five times before he was completely unable to urinate by himself, and he had weak and incomplete urination with abdominal distention and waist soreness manifestations. On examination: the patient's catheter was

Clinical outcomes

We used the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) to access the improvement of this patient's lower urinary tract symptoms. As shown in Fig. 3, the patient had an IPSS score of thirty-five, with severe symptoms, before his first acupuncture treatment. As the treatment approached two weeks, he felt better and had his catheter removed at the clinic. The patient reported that he could urinate on his own after the catheter was removed and that he could sometimes empty his bladder without

Discussion

Acupuncture, as a simple external treatment, may be a complementary alternative therapy for BPH patients to improve their symptoms. Compared to medications and surgery, acupuncture is safe and natural as it only stimulates acupuncture points to achieve the effect of treating the disease with fewer associated side effects. In addition, acupuncture has a two-way regulatory effect12. Acupuncture can stimulate the patient's intrinsic regulatory function and promote the balance of the body's

Conclusion

This case demonstrates that acupuncture treatment is effective in relieving lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH and can successfully reverse the progression of severe urinary tract occlusion in patients with BPH. Hence, acupuncture may be a complementary alternative therapy to improve symptoms in patients with BPH. Also, based on this patient's condition - unmedicated, unoperated, with advanced age - we believe that acupuncture may be a third treatment option in addition to

Ethical statement and informed consent

This case was treated with conventional acupuncture, which is in accordance with medical ethics. Also, written informed consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of any information contained in this case.

Author contributions

Linglin Dai and Jialing Wang participated in the patient's interview, data collection, and completed the draft. Mingjie Zhan and Zhanglian Wang were involved in the evaluation and editing of the case report. Lifang Chen was involved in the treatment of the disease and finalized the final version of this report. All authors agreed and approved the final version of this case report.

Funding

The Inheritance Studio Construction Project of National Famous Old Chinese Medicine Experts of Dr. Wang (Letter of the Department of Personnel and Education, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No.[2020]75) provides funding.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the patient's trust and for his affirmation of the effectiveness of our treatment.

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