Introduction: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common syndrome in adults. Current pharmacologic treatment includes antimuscarinic agents and β-3 adrenoceptor agonists. For non-responders to oral medication, intravesical injection of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) is an effective option. However, these treatments have potential adverse events and should be cautiously selected for appropriate patients. This review presents the recently published results of clinical trials and studies for patients with OAB and the underlying pathophysiology of OAB. Appropriate medical therapy based on pathophysiology of OAB is also presented.
Areas covered: Literature search from Pubmed from 2001 to 2023 including clinical background, pharmacology, and clinical studies for OAB medications.
Expert opinion: Treatment of OAB syndrome with any antimuscarinic or β-3 adrenoceptor agonist is feasible as a first-line approach. For patients with suboptimal therapeutic effect to full-dose antimuscarinics or mirabegron, combination with both drugs can improve efficacy. Intravesical BoNT-A 100-U injection provides therapeutic effects for refractory OAB. Patients who are refractory to initial pharmacotherapies should be investigated for the underlying pathophysiology; then an appropriate medication can be added, such as an α1-blocker or anti-inflammatory agents. Patient education about behavioral modification and therapies should always be provided with oral medication or BoNT-A injection for OAB patients.
Keywords: Urinary incontinence; bladder; medical treatment; pathophysiology; pharmacotherapy.
Overactive bladder (OAB) causes urgency, frequency, and nocturia, and greatly impacts quality of life. Pharmacological treatment with antimuscarinics, beta-3 adrenoceptor agonists, or in combination can effective improve OAB symptoms. In cases of treatment failure, searching for underlying causes and switching to the other treatment modalities such as Botox injection are also feasible to relieve the bothersome bladder symptoms.