Overactive bladder in adults with sickle cell disease.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Hematology
• Public Health

Background:

• Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder with various complications.
• Nocturnal enuresis and overactive bladder (OAB) are common lower urinary tract symptoms.
• The prevalence and impact of these symptoms in adult SCD patients are not well-characterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis and OAB symptomatology in adults with SCD.
• To assess the impact of these symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in the SCD population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted with 239 adult SCD patients.
• Validated questionnaires (Pfizer OAB short form) and voiding history surveys were used.
• SCD patients were compared to control groups with normal or sickle cell trait hemoglobin genotypes.

Main Results:

• 2.9% of SCD patients reported current nocturnal enuresis, versus 0% in controls (P=0.04).
• The median age of nocturnal enuresis cessation was significantly higher in SCD patients (12.0 years) compared to controls (7.5 years; P<0.0001).
• 38.9% of SCD patients had OAB symptoms, compared to 16.3% of normal and 19.3% of sickle cell trait controls (P<0.0001).
• SCD patients reported higher OAB symptom severity and lower HRQL scores (P<0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Adults with SCD exhibit an elevated rate of nocturnal enuresis and OAB symptoms.
• An OAB phenotype may be an under-recognized complication of SCD across all age groups.
• These findings highlight the need for increased awareness and screening for urinary symptoms in adult SCD patients.