Also known as bladder spasms, suggestive of underlying detrusor overactivity (phasic increases in detrusor pressure)
Incidence increases with age and more commonly affects women
Definition
Defined by the International Continence Society as a syndrome characterized by urinary urgency with or without urgency incontinence, frequency and nocturia, in the absence of a causative infection or pathologic condition
Signs and Symptoms
Urinary urgency
Complaint of sudden, compelling desire to pass urine which is difficult to defer
Considered as the hallmark of overactive bladder (OAB)
Number of voids and number of incontinence episodes are used to measure treatment responses
Urinary frequency
Measured using a voiding diary
Number of voiding may vary based on hours of sleep, fluid intake, comorbid medical conditions and other relevant factors
Nocturia
Complaint of interruption of sleep due to the need to void
Urgency incontinence
Involuntary leakage of urine, associated with sudden compelling desire to void
Measured using a diary and by the quantity of urine leakage using pad tests
