Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Urogynecological Patients with Overactive Bladder

Recent studies have reported higher frequencies of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in both male and female patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in sleep medicine centers. However, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence of OSA in female urogynecological patients with a primary diagnosis of OAB. The aims of the present study were: (i) to evaluate the prevalence of OSA among urogynecological patients diagnosed with OAB compared with a control group (non-OAB gynecological patients), (ii) to assess the correlation between the severity of OSA and OAB symptoms.

All patients underwent the home sleep apnea test based on peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT). The analysis included the PAT Apnea Hypopnea Index (pAHI), PAT Respiratory Disturbance Index (pRDI), sleep time with desaturations < 90%, and blood oxygen saturation (%).

The results of the present study can be summarized as follows: (i) both study groups carried a high risk of OSA (> 85%) as defined by the AHI cutoff score ≥ 5 but the OAB group showed a significantly higher risk of OSA as assessed by the Berlin Questionnaire, (ii) there was a higher prevalence of more severe forms of OSA (AHI scores ≥ 15) among OAB patients, (iii) there was no correlation between the severity of OSA and OAB symptoms in OAB patients.

OAB diagnosis in female urogynecological patients may be associated with an altered distribution of AHI scores and more severe OSA symptoms as compared to other gynecological patients.