Psychosocial phenotyping in women with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome: a case control study.
OBJECTIVE
We characterized and compared psychosocial phenotypes in a female interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome cohort and an age matched cohort without that diagnosis.


METHODS
Female patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and controls without the condition completed a psychosocial phenotyping questionnaire battery, including a demographics/history form and validated questionnaires focused on a range of presenting symptoms, psychosocial parameters and quality of life. Specific measures included interstitial cystitis symptom and problem index, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Female Sexual Functioning Index and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 quality of life. Direct comparisons and correlations were made to establish group differences and the strength of associations for psychosocial parameters in patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.


RESULTS
Questionnaires completed by 207 patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome were compared to those of 117 controls matched for age, partner status and education. Compared to controls patients reported significantly more pain (total, sensory and affective), worse physical quality of life, increased sleep dysfunction, depression, catastrophizing, anxiety, stress and moderately more sexual/social function problems. These suffering, coping and social parameters correlated with the degree of general pain but stress, anxiety, depression and catastrophizing further correlated with IC specific symptoms and strongly with decreased quality of life. Pain was strongly associated with physical quality of life, while depression, catastrophizing and stress, and to a lesser extent social support were associated with poor mental quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome have significant cognitive and psychosocial alterations compared to controls.
Nickel
J Curtis
JC
Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. jcn@queensu.ca
Tripp
Dean A
DA
Pontari
Michel
M
Moldwin
Robert
R
Mayer
Robert
R
Carr
Lesley K
LK
Doggweiler
Raggi
R
Yang
Claire C
CC
Mishra
Nagendra
N
Nordling
Jorgen
J
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult