OAB therapy appears to improve sexual quality of life in women

Treatment with extended-release tolterodine tartrate (Detrol LA) is associated with higher sexual quality of life scores and reduced anxiety measurements in women with overactive bladder and urge urinary incontinence, according to a study presented at the American Urogynecologic Society annual scientific meeting in Hollywood, FL.

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study enrolled 413 adult women (mean age, 48 years). Eligible women had had self-reported OAB and urge urinary incontinence for at least 3 months. Patients, who described themselves as being sexually active and in a heterosexual relationship for at least 6 months, were randomized to tolterodine (216 women) or placebo (220 women) for 12 weeks. Women completed bladder diaries and three validated questionnaires at baseline and week 12.

Tolterodine-treated patients had greater changes from baseline versus placebo in urge urinary incontinence episodes per 24 hours (1.8 vs. 1.4 fewer episodes, respectively [p=.003]), number of micturitions per 24 hours (3.3 vs. 2.3 fewer episodes [p=.0006]) and number of incontinence pads used per 24 hours (1.5 vs. 1.0 fewer pads [p=.0024]).

Change in sexual quality of life scores from baseline was statistically greater in tolterodine-treated patients versus placebo (improvement of 6.4 points vs. 1.5 points, respectively [p=.0042]). Improvement in Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) anxiety scores from baseline associated with the improvement in OAB symptoms was greater versus placebo in tolterodine-treated patients (1.9 points vs. 1.1 points [p<.04]); improvement in depression scores was not significantly greater versus placebo.

“This study provides a snapshot of the impact of OAB on a sexually active patient population that was, on average, younger and more racially diverse than typically represented in OAB trials,” said first author Rebecca G. Rogers, MD, of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque. “The results reinforce the importance of diagnosing and treating OAB and suggest that physicians should screen not just their older patients, but all sexually active women, for OAB.”

Pfizer provided support for the study.