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The following is a summary of “Exploring the Association Between Overactive Bladder (OAB) and Cognitive decline: mediation by depression in elderly adults, a NHANES weighted analysis,” published in the January 2025 issue of Scientific Reports by Liu.
Overactive bladder (OAB) is common in older adults and may impact cognitive health.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore the relationship between OAB and cognitive health among adults aged 60 years and older in the United States using NHANES 2011–2014.
They conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2,324 adults (45.95% male, 54.05% female), with 755 having OAB. Cognitive health was assessed using Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease-Word Learning (CERAD W-L), Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and OAB was defined by an Overactive Bladder Syndrome Symptom Score (OABSS) score >3. Weighted regression models adjusted for demographics, behaviors, and comorbidities.
The results showed that cognitive scores were lower in the OAB group across all tests (P<0.001). Depression incidence was higher in the OAB group (15%) compared to non-OAB (6.05%) (P<0.001). Regression analysis showed a 14% decrease in cognitive health z-scores for patients with OAB (β=-0.14, CI 95% [-0.22, -0.06]). Depression mediated 34.56% of the OAB-cognitive health relationship (CI 95%: 0.20, 0.69).
Investigators found that lower cognitive health was significantly associated with OAB, with depression playing an important mediating role in this relationship.
Source: nature.com/articles/s41598-025-86267-6
