WASHINGTON, D.C.—Overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms are common in patients with Parkinson’s disease regardless of age and gender, and the severity of Parkinson’s symptoms correlates with OAB symptoms, according to a study presented at the American Urological Association 2011 annual meeting.
It is well established that OAB symptoms are more common in Parkinson’s patients, but the relationship between Parkinson’s severity and OAB symptoms has received little attention. Tetsuya Takao, MD, PhD, of Okaka University Graduate School of Medicine in Suita, Japan, and colleagues mailed a questionnaire to 561 patients in a Parkinson’s data. Of these, 363 (64.7%) returned the questionnaire. Three patients were excluded from analysis because of insufficient data. Based on subjects’ responses, the researchers determined subjects’ OAB symptom score (OABSS).
Of the 360 patients, 167 had OAB symptoms. They found that patient age, disease duration, and gender were not significantly different in the patients with OAB symptoms and those patients without OAB symptoms. The investigators found that gait correlated with OABSS in women and finger tapping and erectile dysfunction correlated with OABSS in men.
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