Generalized Sensory Sensitivity in Patients With Urinary Urgency-A LURN II Urinary Urgency Phenotyping Study

We examined generalized sensory sensitivity (GSS) in patients with urinary urgency.

Adult men and women who presented with urinary urgency, with or without urgency incontinence, and seeking treatment for their overactive bladder (OAB) were enrolled in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) II Study. Controls without urgency or incontinence were enrolled. The GSS-Short Form (GSS-SF) questionnaire was used to assess self-reported sensitivity to external environmental stimuli (chemicals, bright lights, and sounds), sensitivity to internal bodily sensations (dry mouth, rapid heart rate, and balance), and the anatomical extent of body pain.

Six hundred seventeen cases with urinary urgency and 125 controls were included. Cases had higher total GSS-SF scores (median 2 vs 0, P < .001) compared with controls. For each of the 3 external stimuli and 3 internal sensations, cases were more likely than controls to report heightened sensitivity to environmental stimuli and internal bodily sensations. There were significant positive correlations between GSS-SF total scores and OAB-q symptom severity (ρ = 0.23, P < .001), LURN SI-29 urgency subscales (ρ = 0.19, P < .001), and LURN SI-29 incontinence subscales (ρ = 0.21, P < .001). GSS-SF was negatively correlated with OAB-q Health-Related Quality of Life (ρ = 0.24, P < .001).

Patients with urinary urgency had higher GSS compared with controls without urgency. Cases with higher GSS scores had more severe OAB symptoms and worse health-related quality of life. These findings suggest a subset of patients with urinary urgency may exhibit global, multisystem hypersensitivity to sensory input. In these individuals, bladder symptoms may represent a manifestation of broader sensory dysregulation rather than an isolated organ-specific pathology.