Electroacupuncture Therapy for Urinary Retention in an Elderly Patient

Urinary retention is the inability to urinate voluntarily and difficulty in urinating even when the bladder is full. Acute urinary retention is most common in men aged 60-80. In the past 5 years, 10% of men older than age 70 and almost a third of men in their 80s have experienced acute urinary retention. Risk factors include prostate enlargement, increasing age, African-American race, obesity, diabetes mellitus, high alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity. Treatment for urinary retention is mainly urethral catheterization, but it can be uncomfortable for a patient in the long term.