This systematic review evaluated the benefits and harms of bladder training for adults with overactive bladder (OAB) compared to other treatments such as no treatment, anticholinergics, β3-adrenoceptor agonists, and pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). The review included 15 trials with 2007 participants, being mostly women. Authors assessed primary outcomes like participant-reported cure or improvement, symptom-related quality of life, and adverse events. Secondary outcomes examined included incontinence episodes, urgency episodes, and micturition frequency. The studies showed varying levels of evidence, with most being of low to very low certainty due to small sample sizes and high risk of bias.

Key findings suggest that bladder training may improve OAB symptoms when compared to no treatment, and it could be more effective than anticholinergics for symptom improvement with fewer adverse events. However, the evidence for comparing bladder training with PFMT and β3-adrenoceptor agonists remains uncertain. The review concludes that while bladder training may be beneficial, particularly in reducing incontinence episodes, the overall quality of the evidence is insufficient to draw firm conclusions. Further well-designed trials are necessary to better assess bladder training’s efficacy and its role in OAB management.

Reference: Funada S, Yoshioka T, Luo Y, et al. Bladder training for treating overactive bladder in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;10(10):CD013571. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013571.pub2.