Validation of the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score

Blaivas, Jerry G.
Panagopoulos, Georgia
Weiss, Jeffrey P.
Somaroo, Chandra

From the Weill Medical College of Cornell University (JGB, JPW), Lenox Hill Hospital (JGB, GP, JPW) and UroCenter of New York (JGB, JPW, CS), New York, New York

^*Financial interest and/or other relationship with Novartis, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Endogun.

^†Financial interest and/or other relationship with Pfizer.

Study received institutional review board approval.

Supported by the Institute for Bladder and Prostate Research, Novartis and Pfizer.

Submitted for publication January 11, 2007.

Journal of Urology 178(2):p 543-547, August 2007.

Purpose

We validated a new 7-item overactive bladder symptom score.

Materials and Methods

Normal subjects and consecutive patients with lower urinary tract symptoms with or without overactive bladder were recruited and classified into 3 groups based on their response to the question on an intake questionnaire, “Do you ever experience a sudden urge to urinate that makes you want to stop what you are doing and rush to a bathroom?” Subjects completed the written questionnaire in privacy on 2 occasions.

Results

There were 84 subjects, including 33 men and 51 women, with a median age of 62 years (range 18 to 88). Of the subjects 33 (39%) had overactive bladder, 30 (36%) had lower urinary tract symptoms without overactive bladder and 21 (25%) were normal. There was a high level of internal consistency at visits 1 and 2 (Cronbach's α = 0.83 and 0.80, respectively, p <0.001). For test-retest reliability Spearman's rank order correlation coefficients for the items were r = 0.72 to 0.79 (p <0.001). A strong correlation was also observed between the total 7-item scores at visits 1 and 2 for each diagnostic subgroup, and for all participants (r = 0.86, p <0.001). Discriminant validity was established by determining significant differences in responses among the 3 subgroups at each administration (p <0.01).

Conclusions

The overactive bladder symptom score is a valid instrument that assesses all aspects of overactive bladder. It may be used as a symptom score.