PURPOSE:Overactive bladder is subtyped into overactive bladder-wet and overactive bladder-dry, based on the presence or absence, respectively, of urgency incontinence.
To better understand patient and physician perspectives on symptoms among women with overactive bladder-wet and overactive bladder-dry, we performed patient focus groups and interviews with experts in urinary incontinence.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:Five focus groups totaling 33 patients with overactive bladder symptoms, including 3 groups of overactive bladder-wet and 2 groups of overactive bladder-dry patients, were conducted. Topics addressed patient perceptions of overactive bladder symptoms, treatments and outcomes. A total of 12 expert interviews were then done in which experts were asked to describe their views on overactive bladder-wet and overactive bladder-dry. Focus groups and expert interviews were transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data analysis was performed using grounded theory methodology, as described by Charmaz.
RESULTS:During the focus groups sessions, women screened as overactive bladder-dry shared the knowledge that they would probably leak if no toilet were available. This knowledge was based on a history of leakage episodes in the past. Those few patients with no history of leakage had a clinical picture more consistent with painful bladder syndrome than overactive bladder. Physician expert interviews revealed the belief that many patients labeled as overactive bladder-dry may actually be mild overactive bladder-wet.
CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative data from focus groups and interviews with experts suggest that a spectrum exists between very mild overactive bladder-wet and severe overactive bladder-wet. Scientific investigations are needed to determine whether urgency without fear of leakage constitutes a unique clinical entity.
Written by:
Anger JT, Le TX, Nissim HA, Rogo-Gupta L, Rashid R, Behniwal A, Smith AL, Litwin MS, Rodriguez LV, Wein AJ, Maliski SL. Are you the author?
Division of Urology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Beverly Hills; Department of Urology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Reference: J Urol. 2012 Sep 19. pii: S0022-5347(12)04223-1.
doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2012.07.044
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22999694
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