The effects of drug and behavior therapy on urgency and voiding frequency.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of drug therapy alone and combined with behavioral therapy on urgency and 24-voiding frequency in women with urge-predominant incontinence and to identify predictors of change.

METHODS

A planned analysis of data from a multi-site, randomized, controlled trial (N = 307). Bladder diaries were used to document voids, incontinence, and urgency severity.

RESULTS

Urgency scores decreased significantly within both treatment groups, but changes did not differ between groups (p = 0.30). Improvement in urgency was associated with greater baseline urgency (p < 0.0001) and black ethnicity (p = 0.03). Voiding frequency increased with drug alone and decreased slightly with combined therapy (p = 0.009), and improvement was associated with combined treatment (p < 0.0001), higher baseline frequency (p < 0.0001), and lower baseline incontinence episode frequency (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although combined drug and behavioral therapy does not appear to improve urgency more than drug alone, it resulted in better outcomes on voiding frequency.