Risk Factors of Diabetic Bladder Dysfunction in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Case-Control Study in Shenzhen, China.

Introduction and hypothesis: Diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) is a prevalent but underrecognized complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), affecting 25 to 87% of patients and significantly impairing quality of life. The specific risk factors for DBD remain poorly understood due to inconsistent findings in prior studies. This study aims to systematically identify the risk factors associated with DBD among Chinese T2DM patients.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Shenzhen, China, spanning from March 2019 to January 2024, involving T2DM patients from two tertiary comprehensive hospitals. Patients were categorized into DBD and non-DBD groups based on DBD presence or absence. Comparative analysis utilized the Mann-Whitney U test and χ² test, with significant variables subsequently subjected to logistic regression analysis.

Results: In this study, 35.5% of patients with T2DM experienced the outcome of DBD. Comparative analysis between DBD and non-DBD groups revealed that 11 of 60 candidate variables demonstrated significant associations with DBD development (P < 0.05). Significant predictors identified in logistic regression included age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.04), gender (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.31-0.72), duration of T2DM (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.11), urine microalbumin/creatinine ratio (UA/CR) (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01-1.01), and insulin use (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.30-3.96).

Conclusions: This study identified a total of five significant risk factors, offering robust evidence for DBD intervention and providing critical insights for reducing its incidence and enhancing patient quality of life.