Researchers were surprised to find that those with OAB have a more diverse collection of bacteria than the rest of us. And given that 40 to 50% of OAB patients don’t respond to treatment, says researcher Evann Hilt, a graduate student at Loyola University, there’s hope that this finding could lead to a bacteria-inspired solution for the condition that was previously thought to be a neuromuscular issue. “Like our gut, we now think the bladder is another part of our body has its own niche of bacteria that, in certain disease states, may be disrupted,” he says. MORE: What Your Pee Says About Your Health
