Increased risk of ischemic stroke among women with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis: A cohort study from Taiwan - Abstract

AIM: Vascular factors are proposed in the etiology of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC).

In this study, we investigated the risk of stroke among women following a diagnosis of BPS/IC over 3 years of follow-up, compared to controls without a BPS/IC diagnosis.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used data retrieved from the Taiwan "Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000." We identified 847 women who received a diagnosis of BPS/IC between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2008 (study group) and 4,235 comparison women (women without a BPS/IC diagnosis matched on age and other selected demographic variables. All subjects were tracked for 3 years following the index date to identify those who received a diagnosis of stroke during follow-up.

RESULTS: The stroke incidence rate was 20.86 (95% confidence interval (CI): 15.78-27.07) and 11.65 (95% CI: 9.88-13.64) per 1,000 person-years among the study and comparison cohorts, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed a stroke hazard ratio (HR) of 1.52 (95% CI: 1.09-2.14) in the BPS/IC group relative to the comparison group over 3-year follow-up, after adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, and chronic kidney disease. The adjusted HR of ischemic stroke was 1.52 (95% CI: 1.02-2.27). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in hemorrhagic stroke risk.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates an association between BPS/IC and a subsequent ischemic stroke diagnosis among women in Taiwan.

Written by:
Chung SD, Xirasagar S, Lin CC, Ling W, Li HC, Lin HC.   Are you the author?
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Ban Ciao, Taipei, Taiwan; Sleep Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Reference: Neurourol Urodyn. 2013 Oct 24. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1002/nau.22515


PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24155221

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