Cardiovascular risk independently predicts small functional bladder storage capacity

Purpose: We aimed to determine the potential relationship between atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) score, which equates to 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular events, and functional bladder capacity (FBC) among men in the outpatient urology setting.

Methods: We secondarily analyzed voiding diaries from men aged 40 to 79 years with nocturia. Patients with a history of cardiovascular disease or who had nocturnal polyuria were excluded. Patients were stratified by whether they met the high-risk ASCVD threshold (≥ 20%) following current cardiology consensus guidelines and assessed for the presence of small FBC (24-h maximum voided volume ≤ 200 ml). Logistic regression analyses were employed to explore associations between small FBC and ASCVD.

Results: Eighty-four men (median ASCVD score 18.4 [IQR 12.8-26.9] %, age 66 [61-71] years, body mass index [BMI] 29.4 [26.4-32.7] kg/m²) were included, of whom 36 (42.9%) were high-risk and 48 (57.1%) fell below the high-risk threshold. High-risk patients were more likely to have small FBC (23 [63.9%] vs. 14 [29.2%], p = 0.002). ASCVD risk predicted small FBC on univariate analysis (p = 0.002). No such effect was observed with age (p = 0.116), BMI (p = 0.523), or benign prostatic obstruction (p = 0.180). The association between ASCVD risk and small FBC persisted on multivariate analysis after controlling for BMI and benign prostatic obstruction (p = 0.002). No significant predictors of small FBC were observed when age, a major determinant of ASCVD risk and independent correlate of small FBC, was substituted for ASCVD score (p = 0.108).

Conclusions: Small FBC is related to a higher predicted cardiovascular event rate in men with nocturia.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular disease; Hypoxia; Ischemia; LUTS; Oxidative stress.