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OAB and IC/BPS: Two Conditions or a Continuum of One?

  • Reconstructed Bladder Function & Dysfunction (M Kaufman, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Overactive bladder (OAB) and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) are defined as syndromes consisting of “urinary urgency, usually accompanied by frequency and nocturia, with or without urgency urinary incontinence” and “an unpleasant sensation perceived to be related to the urinary bladder, associated with lower urinary tract symptoms,” respectively. Distinguishing between the two diagnoses can be challenging and although OAB and IC/BPS are traditionally considered separate conditions, more evidence is emerging to suggest a continuum between the symptoms. This review considers the two conditions existing on a continuum by reviewing relevant definitions, phenotypes, and treatment considerations.

Recent Findings

Recent studies have suggested that up to 25% of patients with IC/BPS reported urge incontinence and 35% of patients with OAB described bladder pain. Analysis assessing validated questionnaires revealed that scores could distinguish controls from patients with storage LUTS but were not able to distinguish between those with OAB and IC/BPS. A novel scoring system spanning domain of urgency incontinence and bladder pain was validated and provided 91% diagnostic accuracy.

Summary

OAB and IC/BPS symptoms overlap significantly and it remains unclear if patients with IC/BPS and OAB are unique populations or specific phenotypes of the same condition. We propose that “OAB-dry” patients without fear of leakage may represent a variant of IC/BPS. Unbiased phenotyping based on more accurate symptomatic descriptions may help reveal the correlations of variants of lower urinary tract symptoms with both prognosis and treatment responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Kai B. Dallas, Carrie S. Stewart, Lenore A. Ackerman & Jennifer T. Anger

  2. Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, 99 N, La Cienega Blvd. M-102, Beverly Hills, CA, 90211, USA

    Kai B. Dallas, Carrie S. Stewart, Lenore A. Ackerman & Jennifer T. Anger

Authors
  1. Kai B. Dallas
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Correspondence to Jennifer T. Anger.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Jennifer T. Anger is an expert witness for Boston Scientific. Dr. Kai B. Dallas, Dr. Lenore A. Ackerman, and Dr. Carrie S. Stewart declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants performed by the authors were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Reconstructed Bladder Function & Dysfunction

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Dallas, K.B., Stewart, C.S., Ackerman, L.A. et al. OAB and IC/BPS: Two Conditions or a Continuum of One?. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep 15, 15–20 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-019-00567-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-019-00567-y

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