Investigation of the Effectiveness of Acupuncture in Patients Diagnosed With Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome is a non-bacterial chronic inflammatory disease of the bladder characterized by lower urinary tract symptoms such as dysuria, irritating urgency, and nocturia, as well as pelvic pain associated with bladder filling.

The International Continence Society (ICS) defines bladder pain syndrome as "a complaint of suprapubic pain due to bladder filling accompanied by urinary system symptoms such as increased daytime and nighttime urinary frequency as a result of the exclusion of proven urinary infection or other obvious pathologies." Acupuncture is an important treatment method of traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for more than 2500 years and is performed by placing needles at specific points on the skin.

In the literature, clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in Interstitial Cystitis and its effectiveness in relieving symptoms has been demonstrated. In the light of these data, our aim in our multi-centered study is to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life in patients diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis.

In our study, patients who applied to the Urology Clinic between 01.02.2024 and 01.07.2024 with pelvic pain or discomfort lasting more than 6 months and lower urinary tract symptoms such as frequent urination, dysuria and nocturia will be examined and evaluated with suspicion of Interstitial Cystitis diagnosis.