Purpose: To determine if treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) can improve self-reported limitations in physical activity in women.
Materials and methods: This is a prospective study of women with OAB treated with flexible-dose fesoterodine therapy and standardized behavioral counseling. Subjects were evaluated at baseline and 8 weeks post-treatment. Physical activity scores were assigned using two questions of the Short Form 12 (SF-12) and categorized into three levels of physical activity (no limitations, moderate limitations, severe limitations). Response of urinary symptoms to treatment at 8 weeks was measured using the Patient Global Impression of Improvement. Physical activity limitations at baseline and 8 weeks were compared.
Results: We recruited 137 women. At baseline, 71 (52%) women had no limitations, 34 (25%) had moderate, and 32 (23%) had severe physical limitations. Eight weeks after treatment, the proportion of women reporting severe limitations in physical activity was significantly lower with 71 (52%) women reporting no limitations, 50 (36%) reporting moderate, and 16 (12%) reporting severe limitations in physical activity (p = 0.001). At 8 weeks, the proportion of women with no limitations in physical activity was higher in responders than nonresponders (52% vs. 33%), and the proportion of women with severe restriction was lower in responders (13% vs. 17%), although there was no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.24), which both showed overall improvement in physical activity limitations.
Conclusion: Treatment of OAB is associated with a decrease in perceived physical activity limitations; however, this is not directly associated with improvement in urinary symptoms.