title: Clinical and psychological parameters associated with pain pattern phenotypes in women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It was recently suggested that 2 distinct clinical phenotypes can be described in patients with urological chronic pelvic pain syndrome, including pelvic pain only and pelvic pain beyond. We examined data on patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, including body pain location mapping, and associated medical and psychosocial phenotyping to validate these body pain maps in a cohort of female patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome undergoing tertiary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Validated questionnaires from 173 diagnosed outpatient female patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome included a body pain area diagram, demographics/history, pain assessment, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, fatigue, sexual functioning, catastrophizing, quality of life and data on other chronic pain conditions. Two pain phenotypes based on counts of body locations, pelvic pain only and pelvic pain beyond, were comprehensively examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 157 patients (81%) identified with pelvic pain beyond reported more sensory type pain, poorer physical quality of life, and greater somatic depression and sleep disturbance than the 36 (19%) categorized with pelvic pain only. The sexual pain score was higher in the pelvic pain only group. Furthermore, patients with the pelvic pain beyond phenotype reported a higher prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia as well as more general fatigue symptoms and psychiatric conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two distinct pain location phenotypes, including pelvic pain only and pelvic pain beyond, were identified by our independent analysis of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Assessing clinical phenotypes based on pain patterns has significant ramifications in our improved understanding of the etiology and treatment of female patients diagnosed with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology (JCN), Psychology and Anesthesiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: jcn@queensu.ca.
authors.forename: J Curtis
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology (JCN), Psychology and Anesthesiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Dean A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tripp
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010641:Phenotype; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: chronic pain; cystitis; interstitial; phenotype; questionnaires; urinary bladder