Overactive bladder in special patient populations.

It is now well accepted that overactive bladder (OAB) negatively affects the quality of life of a large number of persons and that the primary mode of therapy is the use of medication-currently antimuscarinic agents. However, it is also important for physicians to understand how the use of these drugs affects specific groups of patients. Most of the concern in this area focuses on the potential for these populations to experience certain adverse events or side effects from the use of antimuscarinic agents; this has prevented these drugs from being prescribed in these populations to the same degree as in the general population of OAB sufferers. The purpose of this article is to review these specific populations of OAB patients, including pediatric, geriatric, and pregnant patients, men with prostate problems, and patients in whom OAB is of neurogenic origin, and to discuss what is currently known about the use of antimuscarinic agents in these groups.