Quality of life in patients with overactive bladder following botulinum toxin treatment: a preliminary report

The aim of the present study was to compare the subjective quality of life in patients with overactive bladder (OAB) prior to intravesical botulinum toxin injection and three and six months thereafter.

The study included 50 women diagnosed with OAB refractory to oral pharmacotherapy. The respondents completed four questionnaires, ICIQ-OAB, ICIQ-OABqol, ICIQ-LUTSqol and a dedicated clinicodemographic survey.

Intravesical injection of botulinum toxin A contributed to the attenuation of OAB-related ailments and resultant improvement of the quality of life. The ICIQ-OAB scores at three and six months post-injection were significantly lower than at the baseline (p < 0.001), implying that the treatment reduced the severity of OAB manifestations. OAB ailments had, without a doubt, a detrimental effect on the quality of life, as shown by high ICIQ-OABqol and ICIQ-LUTSqol scores before the treatment. Administration of botulinum toxin A was associated with a significant decrease in scores for all domains of the ICIQ-OABqol and ICIQ-LUTSqol scales (p < 0.001).

Botulinum toxin is an effective treatment option in patients with OAB who failed to respond to anticholinergic therapy. Botulinum toxin injections contributed to a significant improvement in the quality of life during a six-month follow-up.