Sleep Quality and Fatigue in Women with Overactive Bladder: A Case-Control Study

Background: Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome, a condition with urgency, is often characterized by increased daytime frequency and nocturia. Overactive bladder is a highly prevalent condition that drastically impacts the quality of patients’ life. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate sleep disturbance and fatigue in women with OAB by reliance on two validated questionnaires. Methods: This case-control study was performed among 70 patients recognized with OAB and 70 women in a control group. We employed validated questionnaires, namely Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), to comparatively assess sleep disturbance and fatigue symptoms, respectively. Results: The participants’ mean age was 44.50 ± 12.64 years old. The mean PSQI score was 13.24 ± 3.67 (range: 6 to 22), and the mean FSS score was 39.05 ± 15.12 (range: 9 to 63). Furthermore, the mean scores of PSQI (P < 0.001) and FSS (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in OAB women compared to the control group. In women with OAB, there was a significant positive correlation (P = 0.007) between PSQI and FSS scores. Furthermore, this correlation was observed between urgency urinary incontinence at night and PSQI (P = 0.047) and sleep disturbance (P = 0.023) and between nocturia and sleep efficiency (P = 0.012), sleep disturbance (P = 0.001), sleep latency (P = 0.007), and FSS score (P = 0.032). In addition, a significant direct correlation (P = 0.022) was found between urgency urinary incontinence during the day and daytime dysfunction. Conclusions: The study shows that sleep disorder is common in patients with OAB, and it seems that urinary problem assessment is a prerequisite for any sleep medication prescription.