Urinary Biomarkers Under Investigation for Overactive Bladder Syndrome

Abstract

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a symptom syndrome of urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia, and urge incontinence suggestive of lower urinary tract dysfunction. Detrusor overactivity (DO) during urodynamic testing may be the cause of symptoms in 54–70 % of OAB study participants. The identification of urinary biomarkers is warranted due to the high false negative rate of urodynamic testing results for the diagnosis of DO and for the evaluation of treatment response in study participants with OAB symptoms. We reviewed the published literature on urinary biomarkers under investigation for OAB with Pub Med up to June 2015 using search keywords that included “overactive bladder,” “nerve growth factor (NGF),” “brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF),” “prostaglandins,” “cytokines,” and “CRP.” Current evidence suggests that NGF and BDNF appear to be most promising candidates for urinary biomarkers for the diagnosis and the evaluation treatment response.