The relationship between retinal neurodegenerative changes and overactive bladder syndrome in multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neurology
• Urology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect the optic nerve and retina.
• Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common comorbidity in MS patients.
• Neuroaxonal damage is a key feature of MS pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare neuroaxonal damage in the optic nerve and retina of MS patients with and without OAB.
• To investigate the relationship between OAB severity and specific measures of retinal and optic nerve health.
• To identify potential indicators of OAB in MS patients.

Main Methods:

• Patients with MS were divided into two groups based on OAB severity using the OAB-V8 questionnaire.
• Evaluated Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), visual acuity, intraocular pressure, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness, and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness.
• Compared these parameters between the OAB and non-OAB groups.

Main Results:

• A total of 120 eyes from 65 MS patients were analyzed.
• Patients with higher OAB scores (Group 2) had significantly higher EDSS scores.
• Group 2 showed statistically significant reductions in pRNFL thickness (average, superior, inferior) and mGCIPL thickness (superior, superonasal, inferotemporal, superotemporal quadrants).

Conclusions:

• In MS patients without optic neuritis, OAB incidence increases with higher EDSS scores.
• A significant association exists between OAB and thinning of both mGCIPL and pRNFL.
• Inferior quadrant pRNFL thinning is a key factor associated with OAB in MS patients.