The Relationship between Overweight and Overactive Bladder Symptoms
Magdaléna Hagovská, Ján Švihra, Alena Buková, Agáta Horbacz, Dana Dračková, J. Ľupták, Ján Švihra
Abstract
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Several authors have investigated the relationship between obesity – assessed only by body mass index (BMI) – and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> 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. <b><i>Design:</i></b> 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 (cm<sup>2</sup>/level), and other parameters. OAB symptoms were evaluated with an OAB questionnaire (OAB-q), voiding diary, and quality of life scale (I-QoL). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Ninety women had a BFP &#x3e;32% and 116 had a BFP &#x3c;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 &#x3c;32%. I-QoL recorded significantly worse parameters in the group with BFP &#x3e;32% (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01). The Patient Perception of Intensity of Urgency Scale significantly correlated with BFP (<i>r</i> = 0.466, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 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, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.02). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Young women with a BFP &#x3e;32% were 95% more likely to have OAB than other young women with a BPF &#x3c;32%.