Overactive bladder and sleep disturbance have a significant effect on indoor falls: Results from the community health survey in Japan

• Published in: Lower urinary tract symptoms Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 56 - 63
• Main Authors: Konishi, Sakae, Hatakeyama, Shingo, Imai, Atsushi, Kumagai, Mika, Okita, Kazutaka, Togashi, Kyo, Hamaya, Tomoko, Hamano, Itsuto, Okamoto, Teppei, Iwamura, Hiromichi, Yamamoto, Hayato, Yoneyama, Takahiro, Hashimoto, Yasuhiro, Ohyama, Chikara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 01-01-2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Bladder; Frailty; lower urinary tract symptoms; Nocturia; overactive bladder; Sleep; sleep: fall; Japan; nocturia; lower urinary tract symptoms; sleep: fall; overactive bladder
• ISSN: 1757-5664; 1757-5672
• DOI: 10.1111/luts.12326

Objectives
To evaluate the effect of overactive bladder (OAB) and frailty on indoor fall events in community‐dwelling adults aged 50 or older.
Methods
We conducted a cross‐sectional study involving 723 adults between 2016 and 2017 in Hirosaki, Japan. OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance were assessed using the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Indoor fall events (falls or near‐falls) within 1 year were evaluated. Frailty was evaluated by the frailty discriminant score. We investigated the association of OAB symptoms with sleep disturbance, frailty, and indoor fall events. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of OAB symptoms on fall events controlling for confounding factors such as age, gender, comorbidity, frailty, and sleep disturbance.
Results
The median age was 64. We observed OABSS ≥6 in 98 participants (14%), nocturia ≥2 in 445 (62%), urgency score ≥3 in 80 (11%), urge incontinence score ≥3 in 36 (5.0%), PSQI ≥6 in 153 (21%), frailty in 169 (23%), and indoor fall events in 251 (35%). Older age, diabetes, OABSS, nocturia, urgency, urge incontinence, and the PSQI were significantly associated with indoor fall events. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance were significantly associated with fall events.
Conclusions
The effect of OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance on indoor fall events was significant. The causal relationship between OAB and falls needs further study.