As few as four per cent of US adults with overactive bladders (OAB) seek medical treatment, despite the condition affecting an estimated 34 million Americans over the age of 18, according to research in the March issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.
The American research comes hard on the heels of a recent European study, published in the same journal, which reported that only 43 per cent of adults with OAB would consider visiting their doctor.
A team led by Dr Sunny Kim from Florida International University looked at national Government databases covering visits to hospitals and family doctors. They found a large unmet medical need among Americans with OAB, even though it’s one of the 10 most common chronic medical conditions in the country.
The 1.5 million adults included in the American study had an OAB diagnostic code in their records but only a third had it listed as the primary reason for their visit.
“Our study suggests that OAB is greatly-undiagnosed and under-treated in America” says Dr Kim. “16 per cent of the adult population has the condition, but only one in every 25 sufferers actually seeks medical attention.”
“We believe that OAB is commonly under-reported in research because people taking part in studies feel embarrassed about OAB and because of the negative social stigma or shame many associate with the condition.
“This study shows that the number of people actually seeking medical care is much lower than it should be. The databases used in this study were collected by the Center for Disease Control from healthcare providers and should accurately reflect levels of healthcare use in the United States.”
The research covered three leading national databases which are compiled annually: