title: Seasonal changes in symptoms in patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a seasonal follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate whether seasonal changes aggravate the symptoms of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), by serial administration of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) questionnaire for an extended period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-seven men with CP/CPPS were serially evaluated with the Korean version of the NIH-CPSI questionnaire every 2-3 months from October 2008 to October 2012. The mean duration of follow-up was 27.11 ± 10.00 months and the mean number of visits per patient was 14.68 ± 5.33 times during the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of patients complaining of breakthrough pain during the study was 31 in spring and autumn, nine in summer and 18 in winter. However, there were no significant differences in the mean NIH-CPSI scores across the seasons. In spring, summer and autumn, only urination symptoms correlated with quality of life (QoL) (r(2) = 0.277, p < 0.001). In winter, both pain items and urination symptoms correlated with QoL (pain: r(2) = 0.522, p < 0.001; urination symptoms: r(2) = 0.250, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although fewer severe pain attacks occurred in summer, the mean NIH-CPSI scores did not differ across seasons. The pain from CP/CPPS had a greater impact on QoL during winter than it did in the other seasons. In addition, pain was a more significant determinant of QoL than urination symptoms during winter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, College of Science & Technology and Institute of Science and Technology, Korea University Sejong Campus , Sejong City , Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Gilho
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059390:Breakthrough Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012621:Seasons; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000077409:Tamsulosin; D014554:Urination; D064804:Urological Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013449:Sulfonamides; D064804:Urological Agents; D000077409:Tamsulosin
keywords: Chronic pelvic pain syndrome; chronic prostatitis; seasonal variation; symptom.