The Relationship between Overweight and Overactive Bladder Symptoms

Abstract

Background: Several authors have investigated the relationship between obesity – assessed only by body mass index (BMI) – and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between body fat percentage (BFP) and the severity of OAB symptoms with an impact on quality of life. Design: Cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 206 overweight women; they were university students (BMI = 25.8 ± 3.0) with an average age of 30.6 ± 2.4 years. Body composition analysis was used, including assessment of BFP, visceral fat area (cm²/level), and other parameters. OAB symptoms were evaluated with an OAB questionnaire (OAB-q), voiding diary, and quality of life scale (I-QoL). Results: Ninety women had a BFP >32% and 116 had a BFP <32%. The voiding diary and OAB-q confirmed significant differences in 24-h daytime and nighttime frequency of voiding and average urine volume during the day. The OAB-q symptom score was lower in the group with BFP <32%. I-QoL recorded significantly worse parameters in the group with BFP >32% (p < 0.01). The Patient Perception of Intensity of Urgency Scale significantly correlated with BFP (r = 0.466, p < 0.001). Women with a BFP above 32% had a 1.95 times greater chance of developing OAB (odds ratio = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.09–3.52, p < 0.02). Conclusion: Young women with a BFP >32% were 95% more likely to have OAB than other young women with a BPF <32%.