Overactive bladder in diabetes mellitus patients: a questionnaire-based observational investigation

Bladder dysfunction, secondary to diabetes, is mainly characterized by poor bladder emptying and overflow incontinence. However, there is evidence in literature that storage symptoms, as those suggestive for overactive bladder (OAB), may also affect people with diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of overactive bladder, the complaint of urinary urgency with/without urge incontinence, usually with frequency and nocturia, in people with diabetes compared to healthy subjects (control group).

Symptoms were assessed through the overactive bladder questionnaire (OAB-q), an investigative tool, specifically developed for OAB diagnosis.

OAB-q scores resulted higher in diabetic people than those of the control group. Age and disease duration resulted in measurements that showed a statistical correlation with the OAB-q scores.

OAB symptoms are more prevalent in diabetic people than in non-diabetic people. This prompts further research to determine whether the onset of OAB symptoms can be considered as an indicator of diabetic neuropathy.