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Gao N, Zeng X, Wu L, Lin Z, Wang X, Wang W. Effects of electroacupuncture on refractory interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: A one-year follow-up case report. Explore (NY) 2024; 20:602-605. [PMID: 38072764 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2023.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) commonly face a decline in their quality of life and social functioning upon discontinuation of conventional therapy, which is known for its limited efficacy and the risk of relapse. While the existing evidence is somewhat restricted, acupuncture is being explored as a potential and effective treatment option for IC/BPS. CASE PRESENTATION A 67-year-old woman, diagnosed with refractory IC/BPS, underwent treatment at the Medical Acupuncture Department of Sanming Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital. She reported symptoms of lower urinary system dysfunction, including urgency, frequency, and nocturia, along with chronic pelvic pain, and a persistent feeling of pressure and discomfort lasting over 8 years. The patient's visual analog scale (VAS) score for pelvic pain was 7 points prior to receiving acupuncture treatment. Throughout the day, she had more than 10 urinations, and at night, she urinated about once per hour. The O'Leary-Sant interstitial cystitis symptom index/interstitial cystitis problem index (ICSI/ICPI) score was 34 points, and the pelvic pain and urgency frequency (PUF) score was 19 points. RESULTS The patient's complaints were significantly alleviated after 12 sessions of electroacupuncture treatment at BL32, BL33, BL35, and SP6 over 4 weeks. The patient claimed total relief from pelvic pain, with a VAS score of 0. The patient achieved a PUF score of 4 points and an ICSI/ICPI score of 7 points. In addition, there was a significant reduction in the frequency and urgency of urination. The patient experienced a frequency of 4-5 urinations during the day and 1-2 times at night. Subsequently, the patient's mental state and sleep quality were improved. The patient's symptoms did not change at one-year follow-up. CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture has proven to be an effective management method for IC/BPS, as evidenced by the patient's alleviated lower urinary system symptoms and reduced pelvic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Gao
- Department of Acupuncture, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5 Beixiange St., Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China
| | - Xuehua Zeng
- Department of Rehabilitation, Mingxi County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sanming 365200, China
| | - Lili Wu
- Department of Rehabilitation, Shaxian District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sanming 365500, China
| | - Zhenyu Lin
- Department of Rehabilitation, Sanming Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, Sanming 365500, China
| | - Xingbo Wang
- Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130015, China
| | - Weiming Wang
- Department of Acupuncture, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, No. 5 Beixiange St., Xicheng District, Beijing 100053, China.
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Schrepf A, Kaplan C, Harris RE, Williams DA, Clauw DJ, As-Sanie S, Till S, Clemens JQ, Rodriguez LV, Van Bokhoven A, Landis R, Gallop R, Bradley C, Naliboff B, Pontari M, O’Donnell M, Luo Y, Kreder K, Lutgendorf SK, Harte SE. Stimulated whole-blood cytokine/chemokine responses are associated with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome phenotypes and features of nociplastic pain: a multidisciplinary approach to the study of chronic pelvic pain research network study. Pain 2023; 164:1148-1157. [PMID: 36279178 PMCID: PMC10106356 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common and debilitating disease with poor treatment outcomes. Studies from the multidisciplinary approach to the study of chronic pelvic pain research network established that IC/BPS patients with chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) experience poorer quality of life and more severe symptoms, yet the neurobiological correlates of this subtype are largely unknown. We previously showed that ex vivo toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) cytokine/chemokine release is associated with the presence of COPCs, as well as widespread pain and experimental pain sensitivity women with IC/BPS. Here, we attempt to confirm these findings in the multisite multidisciplinary approach to the study of chronic pelvic pain Symptom Patterns Study using TLR4-stimulated whole blood (female IC/BPS patients with COPC n = 99; without n = 36). Samples were collected in tubes preloaded with TLR4 agonist, incubated for 24 hours, and resulting supernatant assayed for 7 cytokines/chemokines. These were subject to a principal components analysis and the resulting components used as dependent variables in general linear models. Controlling for patient age, body mass index, and site of collection, we found that greater ex vivo TLR4-stimulated cytokine/chemokine release was associated with the presence of COPCs ( P < 0.01), extent of widespread pain ( P < 0.05), but not experimental pain sensitivity ( P > 0.05). However, a second component of anti-inflammatory, regulatory, and chemotactic activity was associated with reduced pain sensitivity ( P < 0.01). These results confirm that the IC/BPS + COPCs subtype show higher levels of ex vivo TLR4 cytokine/chemokine release and support a link between immune priming and nociplastic pain in IC/BPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Schrepf
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Chelsea Kaplan
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Richard E. Harris
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David A. Williams
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Daniel J. Clauw
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sawsan As-Sanie
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sara Till
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Larissa V. Rodriguez
- Departments of Urology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Adrie Van Bokhoven
- Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Richard Landis
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert Gallop
- Department of Mathematics, West Chester University, West Chester, PA, USA
| | - Catherine Bradley
- Departments of Urology and Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Bruce Naliboff
- Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles CA, USA
| | - Mike Pontari
- Department of Urology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Yi Luo
- Department of Urology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Karl Kreder
- Department of Urology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Susan K Lutgendorf
- Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Urology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Steven E. Harte
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Management of Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS): A Practical Guide. Adv Urol 2022; 2022:7149467. [PMID: 35047038 PMCID: PMC8763550 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7149467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a prevalent and pervasive disease. The physical and psychological sequelae can be very burdensome for the patient, and the condition represents a real challenge for the clinician as well. With no simple pathognomonic test, finding harmony in navigating patient care can be demanding. Diagnosis and management rely upon a multidisciplinary and holistic approach. Treatment options include conservative measures and pharmacotherapies as well as bladder instillation therapies. Ultimately, surgery may be offered but only in cases of refractory disease. This article offers a pragmatic guide for clinicians managing this challenging disease.
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Torres-Cueco R, Nohales-Alfonso F. Vulvodynia-It Is Time to Accept a New Understanding from a Neurobiological Perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18126639. [PMID: 34205495 PMCID: PMC8296499 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Vulvodynia is one the most common causes of pain during sexual intercourse in premenopausal women. The burden of vulvodynia in a woman's life can be devastating due to its consequences in the couple's sexuality and intimacy, in activities of daily living, and psychological well-being. In recent decades, there has been considerable progress in the understanding of vulvar pain. The most significant change has been the differentiation of vulvar pain secondary to pathology or disease from vulvodynia. However, although it is currently proposed that vulvodynia should be considered as a primary chronic pain condition and, therefore, without an obvious identifiable cause, it is still believed that different inflammatory, genetic, hormonal, muscular factors, etc. may be involved in its development. Advances in pain neuroscience and the central sensitization paradigm have led to a new approach to vulvodynia from a neurobiological perspective. It is proposed that vulvodynia should be understood as complex pain without relevant nociception. Different clinical identifiers of vulvodynia are presented from a neurobiological and psychosocial perspective. In this case, strategies to modulate altered central pain processing is necessary, changing the patient's erroneous cognitions about their pain, and also reducing fear avoidance-behaviors and the disability of the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Torres-Cueco
- Department of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Francisco Nohales-Alfonso
- Gynecology Section, Clinical Area of Women’s Diseases, La Fe University Hospital, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
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Lee MH, Wu HC, Tseng CM, Ko TL, Weng TJ, Chen YF. Health Education and Symptom Flare Management Using a Video-based m-Health System for Caring Women With IC/BPS. Urology 2018; 119:62-69. [PMID: 29894774 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2018.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess effectiveness of the video-based m-health system providing videos dictated by physicians for health education and symptom self-management for patients with Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). METHODS An m-health system was designed to provide videos for weekly health education and symptom flare self-management. O'Leary-Sant index and visual analogue scale as well as SF-36 health survey were administrated to evaluate the disease severity and quality of life (QoL), respectively. A total of 60 IC/BPS patients were recruited and randomly assigned to either control group (30 patients) or study group (30 patients) in sequence depending on their orders to visit our urological clinic. Patients in both control and study groups received regular treatments, while those in the study group received additional video-based intervention. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the outcomes between baseline and postintervention for both groups. The outcomes of video-based intervention were also compared with the text-based intervention conducted in our previous study. RESULTS After video-based intervention, patients in the study group exhibited significant effect manifested in all disease severity and QoL assessments except the pain visual analogue scale, while no significance was found in the control group. Moreover, the study group exhibited more significant net improvements than the control group in 7 SF-36 constructs, except the mental health. The limitations include short intervention duration (8 weeks) and different study periods between text-based and video-based interventions. CONCLUSION Video-based intervention is effective in improving the QoL of IC/BPS patients and outperforms the text-based intervention even in a short period of intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Huei Lee
- Department of Management Information Systems, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Urology, Feng Yuan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Urology, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Huei-Ching Wu
- Department of Urology, Feng Yuan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Ming Tseng
- Department of Management Information Systems, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Liang Ko
- Department of Healthcare Administration, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan; Computer Center, Feng Yuan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Tang-Jun Weng
- Department of Healthcare Administration, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Fu Chen
- Department of Healthcare Administration, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Health Services Administration, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT; Department of Dental Technology and Materials Science, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan.
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Significant Linkage Evidence for Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome on Chromosome 3. J Urol 2017; 199:172-177. [PMID: 28734863 DOI: 10.1016/j.juro.2017.07.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome is a chronic pelvic pain condition of unknown etiology. We hypothesized that related interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome cases were more likely to have a genetic etiology. The purpose of this study was to perform a genetic linkage analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome cases using diagnostic codes linked to the Utah Population Database genealogy resource and to electronic medical records. For this analysis we used 13 high risk pedigrees, defined as having a statistical excess number of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome cases among descendants compared to matched hospital population rates. Case status was confirmed in medical records using natural language processing. DNA was obtained from stored, nonneoplastic, formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue blocks. Each pedigree had at least 2 cases with DNA available. Parametric linkage analysis was performed. RESULTS Pedigrees ranged in size from 2 to 12 genotyped cases for a total of 48 cases. Significant genome wide linkage evidence was found under a dominant model on chromosome 3p13-p12.3 (maximum heterogeneity θ logarithm of odds 3.56). Two pedigrees showed at least nominal linkage evidence in this region (logarithm of odds greater than 0.59). The most informative pedigree included 12 interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome cases (pedigree θ logarithm of odds 2.1). Other regions with suggestive linkage evidence included 1p21-q25, 3p21.1-p14.3, 4q12-q13, 9p24-p22 and 14q24-q31, all under a dominant model. CONCLUSIONS While the etiology of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome is unknown, this study provides evidence that a genetic variant(s) on chromosome 3 and possibly on chromosomes 1, 4, 9 and 14 contribute to an interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome predisposition. Sequence analysis of affected cases in identified pedigrees may provide insight into genes contributing to interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.
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Afari N, Gasperi M, Forsberg CW, Goldberg J, Buchwald D, Krieger JN. Heritability of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men: A Twin Study. J Urol 2016; 196:1486-1492. [PMID: 27312318 DOI: 10.1016/j.juro.2016.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Symptoms of urinary irritation, urgency, frequency and obstruction, known as lower urinary tract symptoms, are common in urological practice. However, little is known about the etiology or pathogenesis of lower urinary tract symptoms, especially the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the development of these symptoms. We used a classic twin study design to examine the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the occurrence of lower urinary tract symptoms in middle-aged men. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twins were members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. We used a mail survey to collect data on lower urinary tract symptoms using the I-PSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) instrument. Twin correlations and biometric modeling were used to determine the relative genetic and environmental contributions to variance in I-PSS total score and individual items. RESULTS Participants were 1,002 monozygotic and 580 dizygotic middle-aged male twin pairs (mean age 50.2 years, SD 3.0). Nearly 25% of the sample had an I-PSS greater than 8, indicating at least moderate lower urinary tract symptoms. The heritability of the total I-PSS was 37% (95% CI 32-42). Heritability estimates ranged from 21% for nocturia to 40% for straining, with moderate heritability (34% to 36%) for urinary frequency and urgency. CONCLUSIONS Genetic factors provide a moderate contribution (20% to 40%) to lower urinary tract symptoms in middle-aged men, suggesting that environmental factors may also contribute substantially to lower urinary tract symptoms. Future research is needed to define specific genetic and environmental mechanisms that underlie the development of these symptoms and conditions associated with lower urinary tract symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Afari
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health and the University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California.
| | - Marianna Gasperi
- VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health and the University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Christopher W Forsberg
- Vietnam Era Twin Registry, Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington
| | - Jack Goldberg
- Vietnam Era Twin Registry, Seattle Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Dedra Buchwald
- Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Seattle and Spokane, Washington
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Lee MH, Wu HC, Lin JY, Tan TH, Chan PC, Chen YF. Development and evaluation of an E-health system to care for patients with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis. Int J Urol 2015; 21 Suppl 1:62-8. [PMID: 24807502 DOI: 10.1111/iju.12336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is a chronic disease that highly degrades the quality of life for patients. In the present study, Internet intervention was used to care for bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis patients to alleviate their pain and bothering symptoms. METHODS Healthcare education was carried out through the Internet by asking the patients, who were randomly divided into study (40 patients) and control (40 patients) groups, to check possible sensitive foods, habits, and behaviors weekly to remind and consolidate important rules for promoting quality of life. The symptom flares consultation through short message service with the Internet used to elevate healthcare efficiency was undertaken. Questionnaires, including Short Form 36 health survey, O'Leary-Sant symptom and problem indices, as well as visual analog scales pain and urgency scales, were used to evaluate quality of life and disease severity improvements before and after information and communication technology intervention. The outcome was evaluated at week 8. RESULTS The quality of life of both the control and study groups was significantly improved. The quality of life and visual analog scales for the patients in the study group with information and communication technology intervention showed a much greater improvement compared with the patients in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The E-health system was shown to be effective in improving quality of life of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis patients through intervention of Internet healthcare education and short message service for the consolidation of healthy behavior and lifestyle in the 8-week follow up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Huei Lee
- Department of Management Information System, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Urology, Feng Yuan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan
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Sadler KE, Stratton JM, Kolber BJ. Urinary bladder distention evoked visceromotor responses as a model for bladder pain in mice. J Vis Exp 2014. [PMID: 24798516 DOI: 10.3791/51413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 3-8 million people in the United States suffer from interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), a debilitating condition characterized by increased urgency and frequency of urination, as well as nocturia and general pelvic pain, especially upon bladder filling or voiding. Despite years of research, the cause of IC/BPS remains elusive and treatment strategies are unable to provide complete relief to patients. In order to study nervous system contributions to the condition, many animal models have been developed to mimic the pain and symptoms associated with IC/BPS. One such murine model is urinary bladder distension (UBD). In this model, compressed air of a specific pressure is delivered to the bladder of a lightly anesthetized animal over a set period of time. Throughout the procedure, wires in the superior oblique abdominal muscles record electrical activity from the muscle. This activity is known as the visceromotor response (VMR) and is a reliable and reproducible measure of nociception. Here, we describe the steps necessary to perform this technique in mice including surgical manipulations, physiological recording, and data analysis. With the use of this model, the coordination between primary sensory neurons, spinal cord secondary afferents, and higher central nervous system areas involved in bladder pain can be unraveled. This basic science knowledge can then be clinically translated to treat patients suffering from IC/BPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn E Sadler
- Department of Biological Sciences and Chronic Pain Research Consortium, Duquesne University
| | - Jarred M Stratton
- Department of Biological Sciences and Chronic Pain Research Consortium, Duquesne University
| | - Benedict J Kolber
- Department of Biological Sciences and Chronic Pain Research Consortium, Duquesne University;
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[The care situation of patients with interstitial cystitis in Germany: results of a survey of 270 patients]. Urologe A 2013; 52:691-702. [PMID: 23459923 DOI: 10.1007/s00120-013-3130-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Using a comprehensive questionnaire the care situation of 270 patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) and bladder pain syndrome in Germany was recorded. Despite comprehensive literature on IC (62,000 citations in PubMed) almost nothing is known of the everyday care and quality of patient care in Germany. RESULTS In total 94% of the patients were women and 6% men, the average age of women was 53.5 years and that of men 67 years and 47.77% of the patients felt that they were well or very well informed about the disease whereby the internet was the source of information in many cases. The exchange of information among patients will increase further through social networks. The diagnosis of IC was made most frequently (62.22%) by biopsy and histological examination followed by urodynamics, potassium test, hydrodistension and cystoscopy. The average duration of the diagnosis was 9 years, 46.67% of the patients consulted a doctor more than 20 times before the diagnosis was made and 51.84% had to pass water more than 14 times per day. Frequency, nocturia and pain were the leading symptoms and 25% of the patients complained of urge incontinence. Among oral medications, analgesics were taken most frequently (61.7%) followed by pentosan polysulphate, antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, antispasmodics and remedies for urinary urgency. In the self-assessment of the success of treatment with oral medications (helped very well and well), pentosan polysulphate, analgesics, antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs were considered to be the best. Medications that restore the glucosamine lining of the bladder were used predominantly for instillation into the bladder included hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulphate and a combination of both and pentosan polysulphate. In the self-assessment of the success of treatment with instillation therapy (helped very well or well) the order was: chondroitin sulphate (62.69%), hyaluronic acid (55.77%), a combination of both (53.66%) and pentosan polysulphate (46.30%). The electromotive drug administration (EMDA) procedure with the use of direct current to introduce medications into the bladder wall was mentioned surprisingly often, namely, in 119 patients. In the self-assessment success (helped very well or well) was considered the best for intravesical procedures with 61.34%. CONCLUSIONS Compared with all drug procedures instillation of medications into the bladder was mentioned 368 times and was assessed by the patients as having helped very well and noticeably by 53.53%, followed by special invasive procedures at 50.56%/271 mentions, alternative therapies at 41.11%/287 mentions and oral medication at 39.75%/1,024 mentions. Hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate products, the combination of both and pentosan polysulphate (oral and intravesical) are not reimbursed by the statutory health insurance. Over 40% of patients treated with these therefore discontinued the treatment for reasons of cost.
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