Prevalence and risk factors of overactive bladder syndrome among Egyptian medical students, and its impact on health-related quality of life, cross-sectional study

Abstract

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common chronic condition that can have a significant impact on quality of life (HRQL). We aimed to assess the prevalence of OAB bother and its related quality of life among medical students in Egypt. A cross-sectional study among medical students in Egypt. An online questionnaire was shared via online platforms to collect the intended participants. We used the Overactive Bladder Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life Short Form (OAB-q SF). We assessed the difference between participants in their baseline characteristics using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis Tests. We performed a multiple linear regression to assess the potential risk factors. 1003 participants completed the questionnaire. The median transformed OAB bother score was 10[3.33, 23.33], while the median transformed score of HRQL was 93.8[80, 98.46]. The prevalence was about 15%, while about 51.65% reported a decline in HRQL. A statistically significant association between OAB bother and academic phase, energy drink, or satisfaction with social life was reported. We found no association between OAB bother and caffeinated drinks or smoking. Finally, neither age, gender, nor BMI had an association with OAB bother. A low prevalence of OAB among medical students was found. Consumption of Energy drinks was found to be a risk factor, while caffeinated drinks had no effect. OAB was found to be higher in the academic phase than in the clinical one. Several studies should be conducted to further assess the risk factors of overactive bladder.Clinicaltrials.gov registration: NCT07044778, June 2025.