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Dr. Atkinson: Welcome to Healthination I'm Dr. Holly Atkinson. Have you seen all of the
advertisements for overactive bladder and wondered if some of your symptoms might be
OAB? I sat down with Dr. Harris Foster; Professor of Surgery in the Division of Urology at the
Yale University School of Medicine to talk about what overactive bladder is.
Dr. Foster: Overactive bladder is a condition. It primarily is a constellation of a variety
of symptoms urinary tract symptoms urinary frequency. Primarily more then eight times
per day, urgency that is the inability to wait when the urge comes to get to the bathroom
and sometimes urge incontinence. When you actually don't make it and there's loss
of urine or incontinence. Frequently there is also a symptom that we call nocturia, which
means getting up at night to urinate which is abnormal. There is some differences in
how one describes OAB. There's OAB or overactive bladder dry. That is there is no incontinence.
So you just have frequency and urgency. You are able to make it to the bathroom. Then
there is what we call OAB wet and those are the patients that have urgency incontinence.
Dr. Atkinson: So who has OAB?
Dr. Foster: Almost anybody can have OAB theoretically children particularly those that are bedwetters
But primarily it's a disease of aging. Some recent reading that I've seen estimate about
thirteen million Americans or some have said one in six adults in both United States and
Europe.
Dr. Atkinson: Men women what's the balance there?
Dr. Foster: Probably more women, but it certainly can happen in both genders or does happen
in both genders.
Dr. Atkinson: Does OAB run in families?
Dr. Foster: It's such a prevalent problem that and the causes are probably what we call
multi factorial. It may be that what we see as OAB is combination of many different inputs
that I'm not sure that at this point we can state that there is a genetic component.
Dr. Atkinson: What should the typical patient expect to undergo in terms of a diagnosis?
Dr. Foster: OAB given that it's a constellation of symptoms can mimic other diseases. You
have to rule out other potential causes before one gives a diagnosis such as urinary tract
infection, bladder cancer, bladder stones, neurologic causes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's
disease, Alzheimer's. Obstruction of the bladder such as men with enlarged prostates
can give similar symptoms.
Dr. Atkinson: When you end up with a diagnosis of true OAB does that mean we don't know
what causes it?
Dr. Foster: Exactly in the absence with some of the other diseases that are very definable
and you have the symptom of OAB, then the answer is we don't know exactly what causes
it. It may be a process of aging where by the nerves are less active so that bladder
function becomes abnormal resulting in the symptoms that we see with OAB.
Dr. Atkinson: So here's the insight. Overactive bladder is very common. Anyone can have the
condition, but it does tend to effect older women the most. If you are experiencing symptoms
and haven't been diagnosed it's important to see a doctor to determine if you do have
OAB or some other medical condition.