Study identifies Link Between Overactive Bladder and Osteoarthritis
Researchers have found in a new study that Patients with overactive bladder (OAB) have a 1.4 times higher risk of osteoarthritis (OA).However, OAB was not associated with immune-related arthritis, suggesting a mechanical rather than an immune link between OAB and OA.
Conversely, patients with OA also showed increased odds of developing OAB compared to those without arthritis. The findings of 15-year study have been published in Science Reports.
Arthritis and overactive bladder (OAB) are both common diseases, but the association between them remains unclear. The aim of our research is to investigate the possible link with regard to arthritis and OAB. Our study’s data was sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2005 to 2020. The Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) was used to diagnose OAB, while the health questionnaire was used to diagnose arthritis.
This research utilized weighted logistic regression to evaluate the correlation between OAB and arthritis. To ensure the robustness of these results, subgroup analyses along with interaction tests were performed. Our research comprised 24,436 participants.
After correcting for all covariates, we found a positive association between arthritis and OAB (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.22, 1.54). Stratified by arthritis type, there was a positive association between osteoarthritis (OA) and OAB (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.22, 1.62). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.46) and psoriatic arthritis (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 0.75, 2.60) were not significantly correlated with OAB. This research demonstrated that arthritis was closely related to OAB. Additional research is required to confirm this association.
Reference:
Sun, Y., Sheng, J., Wang, K. et al. New insights into the association between arthritis and overactive bladder in NHANES 2005–2020. Sci Rep 15, 5310 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89926-w
