Urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence can greatly disrupt the lives of the individual with OAB. A survey of 483 people with OAB demonstrated that even those without incontinence had a poorer quality-of-life than the healthy people who took the same survey. This included lower scores in mental health, how they perceived their own health and intensity of pain.(2) OAB can disrupt an individual's social life and ability to work. It has been reported that as many as 60 percent of women with urinary incontinence avoid leaving the house.(3) OAB can also affect a person psychologically, physically and sexually. Many people who suffer from OAB are very reluctant to discuss their problem with a healthcare provider, and thus do not receive the help that is available to them.(4) Many find ways to cope with their problem by adjusting their lifestyle or using sanitary protection such as pads designed for incontinence.

The bladder is a membrane sac that serves as a temporary collection reservoir for urine to be held before it is released from the body by urination. The bladder is capable of shrinking or expanding depending on the amount of urine that it contains. The outside wall of the bladder is covered with the detrusor muscle, a muscle that automatically contracts or relaxes depending upon the amount of fluid inside the bladder. The nervous system is also involved in the urination process. It is able to sense when the bladder is full, send a signal for the detrusor muscle to contract and also helps control the sphincter that allows the person to initiate urination.(5)

For unknown reasons, in OAB the body inappropriately senses the volume of urine contained within the bladder and the detrusor muscle tends to contract and relax in an uncontrolled, sporadic manner. The increased frequency is likely a combined result of the decreased function of the bladder as well as a way in which the person adapts to try to avoid leaking urine. Urgency is the uncontrolled contraction of the detrusor muscle leading to an increased urge to urinate. The urinary incontinence occurs when the contraction of the detrusor muscle cannot be overcome.

There are multiple causes for bladder incontinence. With OAB the person is limited by the symptoms and generally the bladder or urinary tract does not deteriorate any further. Other causes for urinary incontinence include problems with the sphincter on the urethra, birth defects, blockages in the bladder or urinary tract infections. A condition known as neurogenic bladder has the same symptoms as OAB and can be classified as OAB, but generally results from a disease of the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or even a spinal cord injury.(1) It is important to have a healthcare professional determine why the urine incontinence exists so that the proper treatment can be given.