Clinical Study on the Treatment of Senile Nocturia by Moxibustion on the Governor Vessel With Ginger

Abstract

Objective

To observe the clinical efficacy of moxibustion on the Governor Vessel (Du Meridian) with ginger separation in treating senile nocturia.

Methods

Ninety elderly patients with nocturia were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 45) or a control group (n = 45). The treatment group received Du Meridian ginger-separated moxibustion every 3 days for 5 sessions, while the control group received conventional mild moxibustion at standard acupoints for 10 sessions. Primary outcomes included nocturnal urination frequency, nocturnal urine volume, nocturnal polyuria index (NPI), and Nocturia Quality of Life Questionnaire (N-QOL). Secondary outcomes included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, and post-void residual urine volume (PVR).

Results

After treatment, the treatment group showed significantly greater improvements than the control group. Nocturnal urination frequency decreased from 4.9 ± 1.3 to 2.1 ± 0.8 times, and nocturnal urine volume decreased from 489.2 ± 45.7 to 198.6 ± 32.1 mL (both P < 0.001). NPI decreased from 42.3% ± 5.7% to 22.5% ± 4.3%, while N-QOL scores increased from 28.7 ± 4.5 to 43.2 ± 5.3 (P < 0.001). PSQI scores improved markedly (14.2 ± 2.1–6.8 ± 1.5), and PVR decreased modestly. The total effective rate was significantly higher in the treatment group (93.3%) than in the control group (75.6%) (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Du Meridian moxibustion with ginger separation effectively reduces nocturnal urination, improves sleep and quality of life, and is superior to conventional moxibustion in treating senile nocturia.

Clinical trial registration

The International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry (https://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn/mgt/search, No. ITMCTR2025001480).