The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is a higher prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders in women with BPS/IC (bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis) than in women with chronic non-neoplastic pain with or without fibromyalgia, to examine possible correlations between urological and psychiatric symptoms.
The patients included in the study were divided into two groups: 1) group 0: patients with an existing diagnosis of BPS/IC. BPS/IC was confirmed by reviewing medical record; group 1+2: patients with chronic non-neoplastic pain, suffering from fibromyalgia or other types of chronic pain (chronic arthralgia or lower back pain). Three questionnaires were administered: PHQ-9 to investigate psychological symptoms, O'Leary Saint (ICSI-ICPI) to investigate urological symptoms in women with BPS/IC and BPI to investigate specifically pain.
The survey included 69 patients, 42 patients had a diagnosis of BPS/IC while 27 of them had chronic non-neoplastic pain. The average PHQ-9 Score was 10.3 in BPS/IC group, considered as major depression (score between 10 and 14); the average score of PHQ-9 was 6.9 in group 1+2, as in sub-threshold depression (between 5-9).
The chronic pain of BPS/IC can affect mood more than in other painful conditions, as more than half of this population has a score that identifies depression with the PHQ-9 questionnaire, confirming the hypothesis that the syndrome is associated with a higher prevalence of an anxious-depressive condition.
Minerva urology and nephrology. 2023 Oct [Epub]
Daniele Porru, Daniela Anselmo, Amanda Magliano, Serena Scalmati, Annalisa DE Silvestri, Marcella Ilardi, Barbara Gardella, Arsenio Spinillo, Pierluigi Politi, Richard Naspro
Unit of Urology, San Matteo Polyclinic Foundation, Pavia, Italy - ., Unit of Urology, San Matteo Polyclinic Foundation, Pavia, Italy., Unit of Psychiatrics, A.S.S.T. Pavia, Italy., Unit of Clinical and Biostatistic Epidemiology, San Matteo Polyclinic Foundation, Pavia, Italy., Unit of Pain Therapy Service, IRCCS San Matteo Polyclinic Foundation, Pavia, Italy., Obstetrics and Gynecological Clinic, IRCCS San Matteo Polyclinic Foundation, Pavia, Italy.