[Treatment of overactive bladder in elderly and old people].

Overactive bladder syndrome is a widespread disorder that leads to considerable impairment of quality of life. Besides behavioural therapy (bladder training), methods used in physiotherapy, electrotherapy and instrumental biofeedback have also proved to be successful approaches to treatment. With their good clinical and urodynamic efficacy, substances with antimuscarinic action at M3 receptors in particular and possibly also at M2 receptors have proved successful as first-line agents for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). Despite the frequently high level of suffering and severe impairment of quality of life, however, compliance is poor. Muscarine receptors do have a significant effect on detrusor function, but numerous other mechanisms and receptor entities also play a role. Whether patient acceptance can be significantly increased by the development of selective M-receptor antagonists, improved bladder selectivity or formulating innovations remains to be proven by broad-based clinical testing and independent, comparative, scientific studies. At present, it is not possible to estimate with absolute certainty the risk of an anticholinergic-induced deterioration in cognitive abilities, in particular in elderly individuals. Initial data suggest that primarily M3-selective receptor blockage with darifenacin could be beneficial.