Overactive Bladder Not Tied to Sleep Disturbance, Fatigue, or Depression

However, patients on antidepressants found to have worse symptoms and medication adherence

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Jan. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Overall, patients with overactive bladder (OAB) do not have worse sleep disturbance, fatigue, or depression scores than the general population, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in Neurourology and Urodynamics.

Sally Jensen, Ph.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues characterized sleep disturbance, depression, fatigue, and patient-reported medication adherence among U.S. adults with OAB. The analysis included 159 participants.

The researchers found that scores for sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depression were consistent with those of the general U.S. population. There were no correlations of moderate or greater magnitude observed between the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms and sleep disturbance, fatigue, or depression. For participants receiving antidepressants, almost all outcomes (e.g., urinary symptoms, anxiety, and depression) were significantly worse than for participants not receiving antidepressants. Poorer adherence to OAB medications was also seen among patients taking antidepressants.

“Findings from the present study characterize the experience of sleep disturbance and depression in the context of the quality of life in a sample of individuals with OAB and highlight the importance of assessing depression and sleep in the clinic setting,” the authors write. “Important differences were observed in this study between genders and by age in this cohort of patients with OAB and should be considered by clinicians during their assessments.”

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.