Acupuncture for benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate commonly encountered in older men. BPH has been treated with acupuncture inside and outside China, but its effects are uncertain. This review aims to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for BPH. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Seven databases will be searched from their inception: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Chinese Biomedical Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the VIP Database and Wanfang Database. Randomised controlled clinical trials using acupuncture to treat BPH will be included. Outcome measures included urological symptom scores, urodynamic measures and quality-of-life scales. Adverse events will be assessed and reported for safety evaluation. Study selection and data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers. Quality assessment (assessment of risk of bias) and data synthesis will be implemented using Review Manager (RevMan) software (V.5.2.3). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not necessary because this systematic review will not include specific patient data. Updates will be conducted if there is enough new evidence that may cause any change in review conclusions. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42014013645.