title: [Impact of overactive bladder on sexual function in women].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overactive Bladder (OAB) and Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI) are both debilitating and bothersome conditions. OAB negatively impact on women’s quality of life affecting their own ability and personal relationships. Our aim has been to evaluate how OAB and UUI affect women’s sexual function and the possible role of antimuscarinic drugs in improving their sexual condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2009 to May 2010, 58 women diagnosed with OAB filled in the self-administered questionnaires: Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the short form of Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7). 33 of them (57%) reported a FSFI score<26,55 and were treated with Solifenacin 5mg. they were re-evaluated with the same questionnaires after three months of therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean FSFI score of 33 patients affected by Female Sexual Disfunction (FSD) was 21,8 (range: 18,6-25,7). The six domains designed to address different aspects of female sexual dysfunctions, sexual desire, satisfaction, orgasm, arousal, lubrication and related pain symptoms, were altered in 48, 33, 21, 15, 12 and 8% of the patients respectively. In 70% of the patients, FSFI score improved of a mean of 5,4 after three months of therapy; UDI-6 and IIQ-7 decreased from 56,3 and 59,9 to 47,6 and 50,2, respectively. Considering women with UUI + OAB or OAB alone, we reported a significant improvement of urinary symptoms and women sexual condition after three months of therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OAB syndrome was found to cause greater deterioration in women sexual function. Antimuscarinic drugs are the mainstay of pharmacologic treatment of OAB able to improve urinary symptoms, enhance quality of life and female sexual condition.
authors.affiliation: UO di Urologia, Ospedale G. Mazzini, Teramo - Università degli Studi di L’Aquila, Italy. delrossoa@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Rosso
authors.forename: Gianna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: Ezio Domenico
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Di Pierro
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masciovecchio
authors.forename: Giuseppe Paradiso
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Galatioto
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vicentini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011812:Quinuclidines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D000069464:Solifenacin Succinate; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D053202:Urinary Incontinence, Urge / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D011812:Quinuclidines; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines; D000069464:Solifenacin Succinate