Patients with an overactive bladder may benefit from taking propiverine hydrochloride tablets, a study has found.

Researchers at the Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine in Japan studied 73 patients, including 29 men and 44 women - all of whom had been diagnosed with an overactive bladder.

Urge urinary incontinence is often caused by an overactive bladder, in which the bladder wants to let out urine even if it is not full or the person is not ready to urinate.

Study participants had previously tried other anti-cholinergic therapies, including solifenacin, tolterodine or imidafenacin, but had not benefited from these drugs.

They were given 20mg per day of propiverine for 12 weeks and researchers found that the drug typically brought about significant improvements in their overactive bladder symptoms.

Side-effects were uncommon and tended to be mild, with 13.7 per cent of patients experiencing a dry mouth and 6.8 per cent reporting constipation.

Publishing their findings in the journal Advances in Urology, the study authors concluded: "Propiverine is useful to improve overactive bladder for patients who poorly respond to solifenacin, tolterodine or imidafenacin."