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Beyond Glycemic Control: Concurrent GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Use Is Associated with Reduced Urinary Adverse Events Following OnabotulinumtoxinA Treatment in Non-Diabetic Adults with Overactive Bladder.

Toxins (Basel) · 2025

Last updated 2026-05-28

In a study of 992 non-diabetic adults with overactive bladder (OAB) treated with onabotulinumtoxinA, those also taking the GLP-1 drug semaglutide had lower rates of urinary retention (4.9% vs. 8.6%) and urinary tract infections (8.8% vs. 13.3%) compared to those not taking GLP-1. The differences were 3.66% for retention and 4.54% for infections, with both results being statistically significant.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalToxins (Basel), 2025
Citations1
Molecules

Abstract

Semaglutide, a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist, is widely prescribed for weight loss in non-diabetic populations. Given the link between obesity and overactive bladder (OAB), we explored whether GLP-1 use would improve adverse urinary events beyond its weight loss benefit for non-diabetic adults undergoing onabotulinumtoxin A (BTX-A) treatment for OAB. Using the TriNetX database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of non-diabetic OAB patients treated with BTX-A alone or with concurrent GLP-1 therapy. Propensity score matching (1:1) was adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, hypertension, and BMI/obesity. After matching, 992 patients were included in each group. GLP-1 use was associated with a lower incidence of urinary retention (8.6% vs. 4.9%, risk difference 3.66%, = 0.0044) and urinary tract infection (13.3% vs. 8.8%, risk difference 4.54%, = 0.00224), with corresponding improved one-year retention-free and UTI-free survival on Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis. Antispasmodic initiation rates were similar (11.8% vs. 10.3%, risk difference 1.55%, = 0.6921), and KM analysis showed no significant difference. These findings suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonist use may improve select urinary adverse events in non-diabetic adults undergoing BTX-A treatment for OAB and support further investigation into its potential adjunctive role in OAB management with longer follow-up.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 41295856 ↗