The effects of drug and behavior therapy on urgency and voiding frequency.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of drug therapy alone and combined with behavioral therapy on urgency and 24-voiding frequency in women with urge-predominant incontinence and to identify predictors of change.

METHODS

A planned analysis of data from a multi-site, randomized, controlled trial (N = 307). Bladder diaries were used to document voids, incontinence, and urgency severity.

RESULTS

Urgency scores decreased significantly within both treatment groups, but changes did not differ between groups (p = 0.30). Improvement in urgency was associated with greater baseline urgency (p < 0.0001) and black ethnicity (p = 0.03). Voiding frequency increased with drug alone and decreased slightly with combined therapy (p = 0.009), and improvement was associated with combined treatment (p < 0.0001), higher baseline frequency (p < 0.0001), and lower baseline incontinence episode frequency (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although combined drug and behavioral therapy does not appear to improve urgency more than drug alone, it resulted in better outcomes on voiding frequency.