Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome: results from the Boston area community health survey.
OBJECTIVE
We estimated the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome defined as pain increasing as the bladder fills and/or pain relieved by urination for at least 3 months, and its association with sociodemographics (gender, age, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) and psychosocial variables (sexual, physical, emotional abuse experienced as a child or as an adult, worry, trouble paying for basics, depression).


METHODS
The data used come from the Boston Area Community Health Survey, an epidemiological study of 5,506 randomly selected adults 30 to 79 years old of 3 race/ethnic groups (black, Hispanic, white).


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome was 2% (1.3% in men and 2.6% in women) with increased prevalence in middle-aged adults and those of lower socioeconomic status. Symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome were more common in those who experienced abuse, in those who were worried about someone close to them and in those who were having trouble paying for basics. This pattern held even after adjusting for depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Painful bladder syndrome is associated with a number of lifestyle and psychosocial correlates. This suggests that the treatment of patients with painful bladder syndrome (physical symptoms) may benefit from a multifaceted approach of combining medical, psychological and cognitive treatment.
New England Research Institutes, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA. clink@neriscience.com
Carol L
CL
Link
Samantha J
SJ
Pulliam
Philip M
PM
Hanno
Susan A
SA
Hall
Paul W
PW
Eggers
John W
JW
Kusek
John B
JB
McKinlay
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011584:Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American