The most common symptom of overactive bladder is urinary urgency, which is a sudden and intense desire to urinate. Urinary urgency may occur with or without leakage of urine (wet vs. dry overactive bladder). Urinary urgency may occur in specific situations such as hearing running water, touching running water, or getting close to a bathroom. With wet overactive bladder, a person may be unable to stop leakage before reaching the toilet, and urine loss typically occurs in large amounts.
Other symptoms of overactive bladder include urinary frequency and nocturia, which refers to being awakened by the urge to urinate more than one time per night. It is important to have a medical evaluation of the symptoms of overactive bladder because they can also be related to urinary tract infections, bladder stones, or bladder tumors.
