Sleep Quality and Fatigue in Women with Overactive Bladder: A Case-Control Study

Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome, a condition with urgency, is often characterized by increased daytime frequency and nocturia. Overactive bladder is a highly prevalent condition that drastically impacts the quality of patients’ life.

This study was conducted to investigate sleep disturbance and fatigue in women with OAB by reliance on two validated questionnaires.

This case-control study was performed among 70 patients recognized with OAB and 70 women in a control group. We employed validated questionnaires, namely PSQI and FSS, to comparatively assess sleep disturbance and fatigue symptoms, respectively.

The participants’ mean age was 44.50±12.64 years old. The mean PSQI score was 13.24±3.67 (range: 6 to 22), and the mean FSS score was 39.05 ± 15.12 (range: 9 to 63). Furthermore, the mean scores of PSQI (P < 0.001) and FSS (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in OAB women compared to the control group. In women with OAB, there was a significant positive correlation (P = 0.007) between PSQI and FSS scores. Furthermore, this correlation was observed between urgency urinary incontinence at night and PSQI (P = 0.047) and sleep disturbance (P = 0.023) and between nocturia and sleep efficiency (P = 0.012), sleep disturbance (P = 0.001), sleep latency (P = 0.007), and FSS score (P = 0.032). In addition, a significant direct correlation (P = 0.022) was found between urgency urinary incontinence during the day and daytime dysfunction.

The study shows that sleep disorder is common in patients with OAB, and it seems that urinary problem assessment is a prerequisite for any sleep medication prescription.