Burden and Efficacy of Anticholinergic vs Mirabegron in Overactive Bladder - A Randomized Controlled Study

Plain-language summary

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition that causes a sudden, strong need to urinate, often with frequent daytime and night-time trips to the toilet, and sometimes leaking. It can have a substantial impact on everyday quality of life. Two of the most common medicines used to treat OAB work in different ways: one type (antimuscarinics, such as solifenacin) blocks a nerve signal in the bladder, while another type (beta-3 agonists, such as mirabegron) helps the bladder muscle relax. Many people with OAB are already taking other medicines - for example, for mood, sleep, or allergies - that, without being intended for the bladder, also block that same nerve signal. The combined effect of all these medicines is called the "anticholinergic burden." Researchers want to understand whether a person's existing anticholinergic burden changes how well each OAB treatment works. The idea is that if this nerve pathway is already heavily blocked by other medicines, an antimuscarinic might be less helpful, and a treatment that works in a different way (mirabegron) might be a better choice. In this study, adults with newly diagnosed OAB who have not yet been treated will be randomly assigned to take either solifenacin or mirabegron once a day. Before starting, each participant's anticholinergic burden will be measured using a validated tool called the Drug Burden Index (DBI) and ACB. Bladder symptoms will be assessed with a standard questionnaire (ICIQ-FLUTS) and a bladder diary at the start of treatment and again after 1 and 2 months. By comparing how participants respond depending on their baseline anticholinergic burden, the study aims to learn whether measuring this burden can help doctors choose the most effective first-line treatment for each patient.

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