Burden of overactive bladder symptom on quality of life in stroke patients

Overactive bladder (OAB) affects the daily life of many stroke victims. In contrast to urinary incontinence, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors for OAB among stroke patients. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey and analyzed the results together with the clinical data and MRI findings.

A total of 500 volunteer patients with chronic-phase stroke were enrolled. The overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS), Short Form 8 (SF-8) health survey questionnaire, and some key international questionnaires about urinary dysfunction were assessed.

We diagnosed 141 patients (28%) with OAB, among whom 103 (73%) had never been treated for their symptoms. Patients with OAB showed lower scores in both the physical and mental components of the SF-8, which suggested the burden of OAB on the quality of life of stroke patients. Advanced age and male gender were closely related to high OABSS. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was positively correlated with OABSS. Patients with cerebral infarction and those with intracerebral hemorrhage showed a similarly high OABSS. The severity of deep white-matter hyperintensity on MRI, classified by the 4-grade Fazekas scoring system, was significantly associated with high OABSS irrespective of presence of accompanying infarcts. Patients with cerebral infarcts in the region of anterior circulation showed a higher OABSS than those with cerebral infarcts in the posterior circulation.

Based on the present risk analysis, patient care should be preferentially focused on the detection and treatment of OAB to improve the quality of life of stroke patients.