Effect of Electroacupuncture on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Clinical Trial

— EABPH  

Official title:

Effect of Electroacupuncture on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05585450
• Other study ID #: 2022-203-KY
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 9, 2023
• Est. completion date: December 30, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: September 2023
• Source: Guang'anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
• Contact: Zhishun Liu
• Phone: +861088002331
• Email: zhishunjournal[@]163.com
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), compared with sham electroacupuncture.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 306
• Est. completion date: December 30, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: September 30, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Male
• Age group: 40 Years to 80 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosis of BPH in accordance with the European Association of Urology (EAU) guideline;

2. Male participants aged between 40 and 80 years;

3. Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) for at least three months;

4. IPSS total score =8;

5. Prostate volume =20 mL;

6. Urinary peak flow rate (Qmax) =15 mL/s;

7. Voluntary participation in the trial and signed written informed content.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Post-void residual urine volume (PVR) =150 mL;

2. Acute urinary retention or catheterization for outflow obstruction within the 3 months (Except for post-surgical disposable catheterization);

3. Prostate cancer or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level =4.0 ng/mL;

4. Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction; prostatitis; uncontrolled symptomatic urinary tract infections; urethral strictures; bladder diverticula; bladder stones; bladder cancer; history of genitourinary system surgery (prostate, bladder, urethra, etc.);

5. Previous acupuncture treatment for BPH in the preceding one month, or a-blockers, 5a-reductase inhibitor, muscarinic receptor antagonists, or any other specific medication usage in the previous two weeks unless a stable 5a-reductase inhibitor usage of over three months;

6. Severe lung, heart, liver, kidney, metabolic, or mental illness, coagulation dysfunction, or with obvious cognitive dysfunction;

7. Installed cardiac pacemaker, allergy to metal, severe fear of acupuncture or unbearable to the stimulation of EA.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
• Hyperplasia
• Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
• Prostatic Hyperplasia

Intervention

Device:
• Electroacupuncture
BL32 and BL33 will be inserted by needles of 0.30×75mm size at an angle of 45°, inward and downward, to the depth of 60-70mm. BL35 will be inserted by needles of 0.30×75mm size, slightly outward and upward, to the depth of 60-70mm. SP6 will be inserted by needles of 0.30×40mm to the depth of 25-30mm. The needles will be lifted, thrust, and twisted evenly three times after insertion to induce the sensation of deqi. The electronic acupuncture apparatus (Yingdi KWD 808I electro pulse acupuncture therapeutic apparatus, Changzhou Yingdi Electronic Medical Device Co., Ltd) will be connected to the four pairs of needles transversally, with a continuous wave of 5 Hertz (Hz) and an electric current of 2-6.5 milliampere (mA) for BL32, BL33 and BL35, and 0.5 mA-2mA for SP6.
• Sham electroacupuncture
The four pairs of acupoints will be inserted by needles of 0.30×25mm or 0.30×40mm size to a depth of 2-3mm till the needles can stand still. No manipulations will be conducted, and the sensation of deqi will not be induced. The electronic acupuncture apparatus (Yingdi KWD 808I electro pulse acupuncture therapeutic apparatus, Changzhou Yingdi Electronic Medical Device Co., Ltd) will be connected to the four pairs of needles transversally, with a continuous wave of 5 Hz and a minimal electric current (ideally at a degree which participant can just percept). In about 30 seconds, the electric current will be turned down, leaving the indicator light and ticking sound on.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
China	Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences	Beijing	Beijing

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Guang'anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Country where clinical trial is conducted

China, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Expectance assessment	Participants will be asked: How do you expect your lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) will be in two months?	Baseline assessment (week 0)
Other	Assessment of belief in acupuncture	Participants will be asked the question: Do you think your BPH may be helped by acupuncture? Time Frame: Baseline assessment (week 0) and week 8 Participants will be asked the question: Do you think your BPH may be helped by electroacupuncture?	Baseline assessment (week 0) and week 8
Other	Blinding assessment	Participants will be asked the question: Do you think you have received traditional electroacupuncture in the past 8 weeks?	Within 5 minutes after either treatment at week 8
Other	Safety assessment	Adverse events and severe adverse events will be recorded in the case report form, whether related to interventions or not.	Throughout the trial
Other	Adherence assessment	Adherence will be assessed via counting treatment sessions. Those who complete over 80% treatment sessions will be defined as of good adherence.	weeks 1-8
Primary	The proportion of participants with at least 30% reduction in the total score of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) from baseline	The IPSS is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure tool frequently used to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of urination, intermittency, urgency, weak urine stream, straining, and nocturia. The score of IPSS ranges from 0 to 35, with scores of 0 to 7 indicating mild symptoms; 8 to 19 indicating moderate symptoms; and 20 to 35 indicating severe symptoms.	week 8
Primary	The proportion of participants with at least 30% reduction in the total score of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) from baseline	The IPSS is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure tool frequently used to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of urination, intermittency, urgency, weak urine stream, straining, and nocturia. The score of IPSS ranges from 0 to 35, with scores of 0 to 7 indicating mild symptoms; 8 to 19 indicating moderate symptoms; and 20 to 35 indicating severe symptoms.	week 20
Secondary	The change from baseline in the total score of IPSS	The IPSS is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure tool frequently used to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of urination, intermittency, urgency, weak urine stream, straining, and nocturia. The score of IPSS ranges from 0 to 35, with scores of 0 to 7 indicating mild symptoms; 8 to 19 indicating moderate symptoms; and 20 to 35 indicating severe symptoms.	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The proportion of participants with at least 30% reduction in the total score of IPSS from baseline	The IPSS is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure tool frequently used to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of urination, intermittency, urgency, weak urine stream, straining, and nocturia. The score of IPSS ranges from 0 to 35, with scores of 0 to 7 indicating mild symptoms; 8 to 19 indicating moderate symptoms; and 20 to 35 indicating severe symptoms.	weeks 4, 12, 32
Secondary	The proportion of participants with at least 50% reduction in the total score of IPSS from baseline	The IPSS is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure tool frequently used to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of urination, intermittency, urgency, weak urine stream, straining, and nocturia. The score of IPSS ranges from 0 to 35, with scores of 0 to 7 indicating mild symptoms; 8 to 19 indicating moderate symptoms; and 20 to 35 indicating severe symptoms.	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the voiding and storage subscale scores of IPSS	The IPSS is a valid, reliable, and sensitive measure tool frequently used to evaluate the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, including incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of urination, intermittency, urgency, weak urine stream, straining, and nocturia. The score of IPSS ranges from 0 to 35, with scores of 0 to 7 indicating mild symptoms; 8 to 19 indicating moderate symptoms; and 20 to 35 indicating severe symptoms.	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the number of nocturia	Participants will be asked: During the last month, how many times did you most typically get up to urinate from the time you went to bed at night until the time you got up in the morning?	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the quality of life (QOL) item of IPSS	Participants will be asked the question: If you were to spend the rest of your life with your urinary condition just the way it is now, how would you feel about that? The response categorized into 7 degrees scoring 0 to 6, respectively: 0 (delighted), 1 (pleased), 2 (mostly satisfied), 3 (mixed about equally satisfied and dissatisfied), 5 (mostly dissatisfied), 5 (unhappy), and 6 (terrible).	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the BPH Impact Index (BPH-II)	The BPH-II measures the interference of LUTS in patients' mental health and activity. The total score of BPH-II ranges from 0 to 13, with higher scores indicating poorer quality of life.	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5)	The IIEF-5 is a valid and reliable instrument for detecting treatment effects in patients with erection dysfunction, ranging from 1 to 25, with lower scores indicating more severe dysfunction.	weeks 8, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the hours of undisturbed sleep (HUS)	HUS is defined as the duration from falling asleep till awake in the morning, or till the first nocturia if any.	weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)	The HADS score ranges from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety and depression.	weeks 8, 20, 32
Secondary	The change from baseline in the volume of prostate	The prostate volume will be measured by transabdominal ultrasound.	week 8
Secondary	The change from baseline in the post-void residual urine volume	The post-void residual urine volume will be measured by transabdominal ultrasound.	week 8
Secondary	The change from baseline in the urinary peak and average flow rate	The urinary peak and average flow rate will be measured by uroflowmetry.	week 8
Secondary	The proportion of responders per the Patient Global Index of Improvement (PGI-I)	The PGI-I evaluates the overall treatment effect perceived by patients themselves. The change can be rated in 7 levels, including "very much better", "much better", "a little better", "no change", "a little worse", "much worse" or "very much worse".	weeks 8, 20, 32