Obese children at higher risk for having overactive bladder symptoms: A community‐based study

Aims To investigate the association between obesity and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in healthy children. Methods Healthy community children (5–12 years) were enrolled to evaluate LUTS and voiding function, and classified by body mass index as being of normal weight, overweight, or obese. A questionnaire was completed by one parent of each child and included baseline characteristics, Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score, obstructive sleep apnea-related symptoms, stressful events, and nocturnal enuresis status in the past months. Overactive bladder (OAB) was defined by an urgency symptom score of ≥2. Monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE) was defined as nocturnal enuresis without either OAB or daytime incontinence. Results A total of 838 children (mean age, 8.0 ± 2.0 years) were eligible for analysis. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.0% and 10.7%, respectively, without gender disparity. Obese children had higher urgency symptom score than children of normal weight (0.87 ± 1.00 vs. 0.60 ± 0.87; P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis showed that significant risk factors for OAB were younger age (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.06–1.29) and obesity (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.14–3.40), while not gender, overweight, obstructive sleep apnea-related symptoms, and stressful events. Statistically significant risk factors for MNE were younger age and stressful events, while not obesity. Conclusions Obese community children were at a higher risk of having OAB while not for MNE. Neurourol. Urodynam. 34:123–127, 2015. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.