Older adults with overactive bladder are at higher risk for falls

This study followed older adults diagnosed with overactive bladder to see if they were more likely to experience a fall. Results from 33,632 patients showed that older adults with an overactive bladder were more likely to experience a fall, and treatment helped decrease the risk of a fall.

Overactive bladder is a condition that can lower quality of life by increasing urination frequency (going to the toilet more often), urination urgency (, and night time urination. Overactive bladder is found to be more common in older adults. The symptoms of overactive bladder can increase the risk of a fall. In the past it has been shown that overactive bladder is under diagnosed and under treated in older adults that experience falls. While there has been some research showing a link between overactive bladder and an increased risk of falls, there has been a lack of large scale studies to test this link. The purpose of this study was to assess if further evidence for this link could be established.

This study analyzed data already collected on men and women 66 years and older whom experienced . Those with a diagnosis for overactive bladder (33,361) were compared to those with no diagnosis (250,994). Of the 33,361 patients with overactive bladder, only 4,558 received treatment. The rate of falls between these groups were compared.

Patients with overactive bladder had a statistically higher chance of experiencing a fall (11%) compared to patients without an overactive bladder (7%). This led to people diagnosed with overactive bladder being 59% more likely to experience a fall compared to those without an overactive bladder. Patients who were treated for an overactive bladder had a lower risk of falling compared to those who were not treated.

This study found that older adults with an overactive bladder were more likely to suffer from a fall. However, treatment could reduce the risk of experiencing a fall.

This studied lacked certain details such as behavioural function and intensity of overactive bladder symptoms. However, the results agree with previous research.

Consult your physician about different types of treatment for overactive bladder.