[Current state of diagnostics and treatment of overactive bladder in the Czech Republic - five years ago and today].

INTRODUCTION

Overactive bladder (OAB) presents one of the most frequent medical problems among the current adult population, with a significant impact on the quality of life of the affected patients. A questionnaire survey was carried out in 2006, with the aim to assess the level of knowledge regarding the problem of OAB among gynaecologists and urologists in the Czech republic, as well as to evaluate the currently applied methods of OAB diagnostics and treatment. The aim of this work was to perform a repeated survey after five years, and to evaluate, whether there have been any changes achieved in the monitored parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 290 respondents (181 gynaecologists, 109 urologists) were included in the survey in 2006; the study group in 2011 included a total of 285 respondents (180 gynaecologists, 105 urologists). The questionnaire used for the survey in 2011 was identical to the document utilized in the initial survey performed five years ago, with minimal changes. The anonymous questionnaire was designed as "multiple-choice", i.e. with a possible selection from proposed answers; the questions were targeted at the topics of definition, diagnostics and therapy of OAB. The obtained results were processed with the methods of descriptive statistics; the concordance of proportions was evaluated with the Fishers exact test.

RESULTS

A total of 114 gynaecologists (63.3%), and 65 urologists (61.9%) were able to determine the correct definition of OAB, which presents a significant increase when compared to 2006 (p<0.0001). The most frequently applied methods of OAB diagnostics were patient history (gynaecologists: 97.8% in 2011 vs. 96.5% in 2006, urologists: 99.0% in 2011 vs. 99.0% in 2006), local examination (gynaecologists: 57.8% vs. 76.4%, urologists: 86.7% vs. 87.2%), bladder diaries (gynaecologists: 62.8% vs. 40.3%, urologists: 79.0% vs. 60.5%), and urine examination (gynaecologists: 71.1% vs. 82.3%, urologists: 96.2% vs. 97.1%). Anticholinergic medication is the first-choice in the OAB treatment in our conditions, which has been confirmed by 146 (81.1%) gynaecologists, and 89 (84.4%) urologists. In cases when the physicians use anticholinergic medication for the treatment of OAB, the first-choice medication is trospium, among both gynaecologists and urologists. In case of failure of the first-choice treatment, twenty-six (14.4%) gynaecologists from the addressed respondents try to continue with a treatment according to their own decision, 154 (85.6%) gynaecologists refer the patient to a specialist. Similarly, a total of 90 (85.7%) urologists try to manage the further course of treatment by their own means, 15 urologists (14.3%) refer the patient to a specialist.

CONCLUSION

The level of understanding and awareness about the problem of OAB among the Czech gynaecologists and urologists has significantly improved during the past five years. The applied diagnostic and treatment methods for OAB are being harmonized with the International Continence Society (ICS) recommendations. Taking into consideration the prevalence of OAB among the population, it is desirable to increase the number of clinical departments who deal with the problem of OAB in a complex manner. The remaining significant task lies in the improvement of foreknowledge about the current possibilities and effectiveness of the OAB treatment among the patient population.