Following our goal to raise awareness about OAB, this month, on LinkedIn, we talked about the disruptive symptoms that have a huge impact on the quality of life of OAB patients: Nocturia, Urinary Urgency, Urge and Mixed Incontinence.
OAB is a multifactorial disorder with a profound impact on the quality of life (QoL) of affected patients and their families because of its adverse effects on social, interpersonal, and professional functions. Embarrassment, anxiety, and depression have a negative impact on daily activities, such as travel, physical activity, and sexual function, resulting in social isolation. Psychological distress is also strongly associated with OAB. In general, these very bothersome symptoms are present in 10-15% of the general population and 20% of women over the age of 40, therefore in 200 million people worldwide. Unfortunately, a significant number of patients refuse to seek help for this condition due of embarrassment of the symptoms.
Nocturia is one of the main symptoms, and it is defined by the International Continence Society (ICS) as the complaint that the person has to wake up at night one or more times to void. This uncontrollable night time voiding results in loss of sleep which severely impacts the QoL of patients with OAB.
Another disturbing symptom of OAB is urinary urgency. It is defined by the ICS as the sudden, compelling desire to pass urine which is difficult to defer. The idiomatic expression of “When I’ve got to go, I’ve got to go!” would explain this symptom most literally. Urinary urgency has a significant negative effect on health-related QoL. Patients with urgency usually report an increase in falls fractures, and depression.
A significant percentage of people with OAB may experience an increase in the number of times they need to urinate (more than 8 times in 24 hours). Interestingly, frequency is one of the main reasons for seeking help, and it has been shown to impact the patient’s physical, social, and emotional well-being.
Usually, patients are diagnosed with OAB condition when symptoms of urinary frequency and urgency (with or without urgency incontinence) are self-reported as bothersome. Additionally, a caregiver or partner may perceive these symptoms as bothersome and lead the patient to seek care.
The current treatment guidelines for overactive bladder include behavioural and lifestyle interventions, oral medication, and invasive treatment.
With our innovative therapy, we want to give OAB patients a good and normal quality of life !
About Inura Medical
Inura Medical AG (“Inura”) is a Swiss start-up company with a clear vision to make a difference in women’s health. Inura’s product is an innovative, first-of-a-kind “urethral ovulum” that utilizes a novel route of drug administration to treat diseases of the bladder and lower urinary tract. Inura’s technology results from decades of work in urology by Professor Grant S. Mulholland, a renowned surgeon, academic, and past President of the American Urology Association. The first indication we are addressing with the ovulum is a chronic disease, named overactive bladder (OAB). More details on https://inuramedical.ch/.