Autonomic testing of women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is characterized by urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia, pain worse as the bladder fills and improved after emptying. These features might suggest abnormal autonomic bladder control mechanisms. We compared the structural integrity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in IC/BPS and control subjects.


METHODS
IRB-approved study at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH to evaluate the structural integrity of the ANS in adult females. Testing included cardiovascular response to deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, 30 min head up tilt, and sudomotor test.


RESULTS
Differences in ANS integrity for IC/BPS subjects and controls were determined by modified Composite Autonomic Severity Score (CASS) that includes sudomotor, adrenergic and cardiovascular indices. Baseline heart rate (HR) and HRs from each of three 10 min upright segments of a tilt test were compared and trend analyses performed using t tests. Healthy and IC/BPS subjects were demographically similar. The two groups did not differ in modified-CASS scores but elevated average peak heart rate was evident during baseline (supine; p = 0.057) for IC/BPS subjects prior to a tilt test. Difference at baseline was maintained at each interval during the tilt, with nearly identical slopes across intervals. The preliminary nature of this report denotes a small sample size and important differences may not be detected.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings show no structural ANS abnormalities in IC/BPS subjects. Higher baseline HR supports the concept of functional rather than structural change in the ANS, such as abnormality of sympathetic/parasympathetic balance that will require further evaluation.
Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 W Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA.
Gisela
G
Chelimsky
N Patrick
NP
McCabe
Jeffrey
J
Janata
Robert
R
Elston
Lu
L
Zhang
Sarah
S
Ialacci
Thomas
T
Chelimsky
D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001369:Axons; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012018:Reflex; D018667:Tilt-Table Test; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014636:Valsalva Maneuver