Diabetic cystopathy: epidemiology and related disorders.

The precise incidence and prevalence of diabetic cystopathy are difficult to determine because of the insidious onset, discrete symptoms, and differences in the definition of bladder dysfunction. Diabetic cystopathy, classified according to urophysiological criteria, was shown to occur in 43% to 87% of insulin-dependent diabetics, with no sex or age differences. Another study showed an average 25% prevalence of diabetic cystopathy in patients on oral hypoglycemic treatment. A Scandinavian study showed that in patients who have had diabetes for 10 years, the prevalence of diabetic cystopathy in those who were insulin-dependent was two to four per 1000 and in those on oral hypoglycemic agents was one to three per 1000. The correlation between diabetic cystopathy and peripheral neuropathy ranged from 75% to 100%. Nephropathy was seen in 30% to 40% of cases. The higher frequency of urinary tract infections in diabetics is not related to diabetic cystopathy but to the frequent occurrence of non-neurogenic bladder outlet disorders, especially in older women.