Bladder oxidative stress in sleep apnea contributes to detrusor instability and nocturia.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with voiding symptoms in humans and animals, and yet its effects on the urinary tract are poorly understood. We examined bladder structure and function, markers of oxidative damage and the redox survival pathway in a rat model of obstructive sleep apnea to identify changes.

Materials And Methods: To model obstructive sleep apnea we used a rat oxycycler system to create cyclical interruption in breathing oxygen, thereby producing intermittent hypoxemia.