Urinary urgency is the primary symptom of overactive bladder (OAB). This study aimed to identify targets for effective intervention to delay progression of urinary urgency.
Secondary analyses of data from a study conducted with female employees of a large academic medical center were conducted. Women were ≥18 years and nonpregnant at the time of the survey. An online questionnaire obtained demographic information, presence of lower urinary tract symptoms, and toileting behaviors. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were applied to explore factors related to different stages of urinary urgency.
Four stages of urinary urgency were constructed: (1) Stage 1: no urinary symptoms (n = 20), (2) Stage 2: continent but urinary urgency reported (n = 19), (3) Stage 3: nonsevere urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) (incontinent but leakage ≤1/day, n = 74); and (4) Stage 4: severe UUI (leakage ≥1/day, n = 26). In multivariate analyses, older women were more likely to be in Stage 3 than in Stage 2 (aOR 1.053, 95% CI 1.012-1.096). Women who lost urine with defecation were more likely to be in Stage 4 than Stage 3 (aOR 3.828, 95% CI 1.921-7.629). Women who habitually strained to empty the bladder faster were more likely to be in Stage 4 than in Stage 3 (aOR 6.588, 95% CI 1.317-32.971).
Losing urine with defecation and making the bladder empty faster by pushing down should be explored as intervention targets to prevent women from progressing from Stage 3 to Stage 4.
Journal of women's health (2002). 2018 Feb 02 [Epub ahead of print]
Fang Zhou, Diane K Newman, Mary H Palmer
1 School of Nursing, Xuzhou Medical University , Xuzhou, China ., 2 Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania., 3 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.