Overactive bladder is prevalent in older adults with type 2 diabetes, study finds

Overactive bladder (OAB) is prevalent in older adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Taiwanese researchers studied 1,359 diabetics with both OAB wet (OAB with incontinence) and OAB dry (OAB without incontinence), as well as associated risk factors, such as age, gender, diabetes duration, and waist circumference.

The investigators, from Chang Gung University College of Medicine, found that 22.5% of the patients had an overactive bladder. The rates of the two types of OAB were higher in those over the age of 50 who had had diabetes for more than 10 years.

“These findings can help guide the collaboration between urologists and diabetologists to work toward developing screening for, and early treatment of, urologic complications in higher risk patients,” the researchers wrote.

The study was published in the November issue of Urology.