1 OAB significantly impacts health-related quality of life (HRQL). Patients with OAB are more liable to acquire a AZD3965 purchase urinary tract infection and have a higher incidence of falling

accidents, fracture, sleep disorder and depression.2 Overactive bladder greatly affects physical and social functioning, including work, sleep, and sexual and interpersonal relationships.3–5 Because of the symptom of frequency, OAB patients usually reduce water (fluid) intake and limit daily activity to avoid discomfort.6 OAB, especially in patients with urge incontinence, eventually has a negative impact on HRQL. The assessment of OAB is very important for patients and physicians. The severity of OAB and degree of improvement after treatment can be obtained by comprehensive evaluation. However, a consensus of what symptoms or evaluations should be used to define OAB is still lacking.7 Previous studies have used the number of urinary incontinence or episodes of urgency to evaluate the severity of OAB or treatment outcome.8,9 However, Inhibitor Library research buy taking into account the nature and definition of OAB, this approach may not properly reflect a patient’s condition. Urgency is the pivotal symptom, defined by the ICS as “the complaint of a sudden compelling desire to void that is difficult to defer”. Urgency is a subjective symptom. Most normal people without OAB will have the feeling of “urge to void” when their bladder is full; thus, it is

not easy to distinguish it from “pathological” urgency. The ICS therefore suggested that the term “desire to void” is more appropriate for describing normal filling sensation. In addition, the diagnosis of OAB is based on voiding symptoms. Urinary symptoms are not life-threatening and do not affect the physiological function. Regarding OAB affecting the quality of life, the same symptoms may have different effects and impacts on different people; therefore, the needs of patients with OAB and methods of treating them will vary and must be considered. Frequently used assessment methods for OAB Silibinin are

described below. The FVC is an important tool to understand the behavior of voiding. In the FVC, frequency is defined as the number of voids recorded during waking hours, including the last void before sleep and the first void after waking and rising in the morning. Nocturia is the number of voids recorded during a night’s sleep; each void is preceded and followed by sleep.1 The FVC is essential for the differential diagnosis of nocturia, to determine the bladder capacity of patients, and whether they have nocturnal polyuria. The FVC records the status of micturition, but it does not reflect the status of urgency. Therefore, we cannot evaluate the severity of OAB by FVC alone. The FVC could be one of the references for the assessment of OAB. The diagnosis of OAB is based on symptoms, not urodynamic studies. Therefore, urodynamic studies are not required for patients with OAB before treatment is started.