The prevalence of overactive bladder

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a disorder that encompasses frequency, urgency, and urge incontinence, singly or in combination. It often has a significan t individual impact on quality of life and on limitations to activities, ye t most individuals with OAB do not seek medical care. Therefore, it is not possible to estimate the prevalence and, more generally, the societal impac t of OAB based on medical encounter data. With few exceptions, most epidemi ologic studies have focused on urge incontinence, the most severe form of O AB. The prevalence of OAB increases with age and is more common in women th an men. However, prevalence estimates vary considerably among studies, rang ing from 3% to 43%. The variation in estimates from epidemiologic studies i s the result in part of differences in the criteria used tb define a case o f urge incontinence among studies. This problem is attributable in part to the lack of a standardized, validated, and operational definition. Nonetheless, consensus exists regarding the significant individual and soci etal impact of urge incontinence and the recognition that it is underdiagno sed and undertreated. Frequency and urgency, the other 2 symptoms of OAB, h ave not received the same level of attention as urge incontinence, yet the societal impact of these; symptoms of OAB may be considerably greater. Over all, frequency and urgency are considerably more common symptoms than urge incontinence, especially between 35 and 55 years of age, the period of peak productivity for most workers. Recent evidence indicates that a substantia l proportion of individuals with frequency and urgency report a diminished quality of life and interference with activities in a number df roles, incl uding work. Efforts are under way to more accurately describe the prevalenc e of frequency and urgency, using a validated and standardized epidemiologi c case definition to determine the individual impact of each symptom of OAB and to estimate societal costs.