Overactive bladder study
Do you have an overactive bladder due to multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury?
The Dignity Study is investigating a treatment that could control your urinary incontinence episodes. By participating you could also help to improve the lives of others like you, and play a part that could shape the future treatment of overactive bladder.
What can be done to control overactive bladder?
Currently available medications for overactive bladder (oral/transdermals), can be a first line of treatment but can also have side effects (such as dry mouth, constipation, and blurred vision) which can become intolerable over time, or are not completely effective.
Neuromodulators may also be effective but are an implanted device and can have technical issues.
The good news is that new treatments are being developed to overcome these challenges. Medical research is being conducted around the world to look at the effectiveness and safety of these new treatments. These studies are taking place under carefully controlled conditions to investigate the safety and effectiveness of this medication before it can be approved by the relevant medical authorities and given to all patients.
What causes overactive bladder?
The symptoms of overactive bladder – the frequent and urgent need to go to the toilet which may result in urinary incontinence – occur because the muscles that control the bladder are not properly coordinated. Normally, muscles called sphincters control the flow of urine in and out of the bladder, while muscles in the bladder wall contract to expel the urine when the bladder is full and the urethral sphincter relaxes.
A constant urge to go to the bathroom may result if this process doesn’t happen in the right sequence and the bladder wall muscles contract inappropriately when the bladder is not full or when the urethral sphincter is not relaxed.
Overactive bladder is a particular problem for people with nerve damage due to spinal cord injuries or multiple sclerosis. It can be frustrating and embarrassing, and can result in reduced quality of life, isolation, sleep disturbances, depression, urinary tract and skin infections, and even kidney failure.
THE DIGNITY STUDY
You can join the Dignity Study if you:
- are between 18 and 80 years old
- weigh at least 50 kg (110 lb)
- have had urinary incontinence as result of an overactive bladder for a period of at least 3 months
- are willing to use intermittent catheterisation
and have:
- spinal cord injury either:
- at the 1st thoracic (chest) spinal bone or below that occurred at least 6 months ago; or
- at the 5th through 8th cervical (neck) spinal bone that occurred at least 12 months ago.
or
- multiple sclerosis:
- stable with no significant changes in therapy or worsening/improvement for at least 3 months, and
- either with a physical disability ranging from none to needing assistance to walk more than 20 meters without resting
- or essentially restricted to a wheelchair but with effective use of arms
For more information or register your interest in joining the Dignity Study contact:
Sydney:
Prince of Wales Hospital; Dr Kadi Tamaddon; ph: 02 9382 4286
Brisbane:
Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital; Betty Scells; ph: 07 3365 5110
Melbourne:
The Austin Hospital; Dr Niero Rajah; ph: 03 9496 3502
Royal Melbourne Hospital; Pat Bugeja; ph: 03 9342 8442
Adelaide:
Repatriation General Hospital; Louise Taylor; ph: 08 8275 1996
Perth:
Royal Perth Hospital; Alison Weatherstone; ph: 08 9382 7471
