Odds of Overactive Bladder Elevated Among Patients With Diabetes

MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) is elevated among adults with diabetes, with significant risk factors including age, diabetes duration, hypertension, and neuropathy, according to a review published online Jan. 11 in Neurology and Urodynamics.

Xiaolong Zhang, from the Shaoxing People”s Hospital in China, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the pooled prevalence and potential risk factors for OAB in patients with diabetes. Fourteen studies from 2010 to 2024 were included for qualitative and quantitative analyses; the studies included 82,646 adult patients with diabetes.

The researchers found that among patients with diabetes, the pooled prevalence of OAB was 30.3 percent, and the odds of OAB were significantly higher for patients with diabetes versus healthy controls (odds ratio, 3.566). In patients with diabetes, age, diabetes duration, hypertension, and neuropathy were identified as significant risk factors for OAB (odds ratios, 1.03, 1.57, 1.66, and 2.42, respectively).

“These findings are crucial for public health, guiding effective interventions to mitigate OAB risk in diabetic patients,” the authors write.

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