The aim of this research was to summarize available scientific evidence on the efficacy of medical hydrology for the management of any health condition. The search was conducted on 26th March 2021, in the following databases: Medline (via PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. All relevant literature reviews investigating the clinical efficacy of interventions characterized by the use of natural mineral waters and muds were included. The quality of studies was assessed with the “AMSTAR 2” tool. After article screening, 49 reviews were included in this work. Overall, retrieved scientific evidence suggests that spa therapy is beneficial for patients affected by some specific musculoskeletal conditions, with improvements potentially lasting up to 9 months. Moreover, balneotherapy can be an integrative support for the management of chronic venous insufficiency and some inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis. The role of spa therapy in rehabilitation appears relevant as well. More limited, although interesting evidence exists for inhalation and hydropinic therapies. Globally, retrieved evidence suggests that, besides individual wellbeing, medical hydrology can be useful for public health. In particular, higher-quality studies seem to support the integrative use of spa-related interventions for conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, low back pain of rheumatic origin, and chronic venous insufficiency. However, the body of evidence has some limitations and further clinical trials should be designed for each relevant application to consolidate and expand acquired knowledge.

这项研究的目的是总结现有的关于医学水文学对任何健康状况管理的有效性的科学证据。搜索于 2021 年 3 月 26 日在以下数据库中进行：Medline（通过 PubMed）、EMBASE、Web of Science、Cochrane 图书馆和 Google Scholar。调查以使用天然矿泉水和泥浆为特征的干预措施的临床疗效的所有相关文献综述都包括在内。使用“AMSTAR 2”工具评估研究质量。文章筛选后，49条评论被纳入这项工作。总体而言，检索到的科学证据表明，水疗疗法对受某些特定肌肉骨骼疾病影响的患者有益，改善可能持续长达 9 个月。而且，浴疗法可以是治疗慢性静脉功能不全和一些炎症性皮肤病（如牛皮癣）的综合支持。水疗疗法在康复中的作用似乎也很重要。尽管存在吸入和水压疗法的有趣证据，但更为有限。在全球范围内，检索到的证据表明，除了个人福祉外，医学水文学对公共卫生也有帮助。特别是，更高质量的研究似乎支持综合使用与水疗相关的干预措施来治疗骨关节炎、纤维肌痛、风湿性腰痛和慢性静脉功能不全等疾病。然而，证据主体有一些局限性，应为每个相关应用设计进一步的临床试验，以巩固和扩展所获得的知识。