Overactive bladder: optimizing quality of care

Overactive bladder (OAB), the symptom complex of urinary urgency and frequency with or without urge incontinence, affects the lives of millions of Americans. In recent years, more successful treatment options have emerged as advances have been made in understanding the pathophysiologic processes underlying OAB symptoms. However, because most therapeutic modalities for OAB are aimed at symptom resolution, rather than the treatment of distinct pathologic entities, a basic evaluation is required for all patients to establish whether existing (and treatable) pathologic processes are present. In the absence of these processes, symptom relief is both the objective and the outcome used to judge the efficacy of a specific modality. The type of therapy recommended for OAB may depend on several factors including age, existing behavioral patterns, estrogen status, degree of motivation, environmental surroundings, presence of other coexisting urinary symptoms, family support, and patient expectations. This article focuses on methods of identifying patients with OAB, and the role of developing strategies in treating this common disorder.