A Cross Sectional Study of Cytokines in Women with Refractory Detrusor Overactivity versus Controls

Previous work has suggested that refractory detrusor overactivity (DO) was commonly associated with urinary tract infection (UTI), which can lead to inflammatory changes in the bladder. This study aimed to investigate the concentrations of urinary cytokines in a large sample of women with refractory detrusor overactivity (DO) and age matched controls.

The urinary concentration of 27 cytokines in 140 women (95 with refractory DO and 45 age matched controls (women without urge incontinence)) was determined using the Human Cytokine 27-plex Assay. Cytokine concentrations were correlated with a “UTI score”, the presence or absence of bacteriuria or pyuria on the day of sample collection and a previous history of UTI.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines were increased in refractory DO women compared to the controls. In women with refractory DO, the UTI score significantly correlated with urinary cytokine concentrations in 15 of the 22 cytokines detected. A previous history of UTI did not affect urinary cytokine concentrations in refractory DO women with no current UTI. Increasing pyuria was associated with increasing concentrations of urinary cytokines.

Careful comparison of cytokine concentrations in women with refractory DO versus age matched controls has shown that changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines are related to the UTI disease burden, suggesting that an underlying inflammatory response, together with UTI, may be an aetiological contributor to the development of refractory DO.