PURPOSE: To characterize the urologic symptoms of a subset of urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS) patients who have both a high somatic symptom burden and a wide symptom distribution fitting a "poly-symptomatic, poly-syndromic" (PSPS) pattern of presentation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 81 UCPPS patients enrolled in the NIDDK MAPP Research Network Study at the Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Alabama at Birmingham sites completed a symptom questionnaire to assess their somatic symptom burden and its distribution, the Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI) to assess their UCPPS symptoms and impact on quality of life, and self-reported treatment-seeking behaviors for their UCPPS symptoms. The PSPS symptom pattern was defined as self-report of numerous painful and non-painful somatic symptoms across many organ systems and symptom categories on the PSPS questionnaire.
RESULTS: UCPPS patients with the PSPS pattern reported more severe genitourinary pain on a Likert scale, more frequent pain in the past week, and more widespread distribution of the pain in the genital and pelvic areas compared to UCPPS patients without PSPS. PSPS patients also had significantly higher scores on the pain subscale, quality of life subscale (worse), and the total scores on the GUPI questionnaire than patients without PSPS. Patients with the PSPS pattern reported significantly more treatment-seeking behaviors than other patients.
CONCLUSION: The PSPS pattern might be an important phenotypic factor to assess in the evaluation of UCPPS with clinical and research implications. This may be a distinct clinical subgroup among UCPPS patients.
Written by:
Lai HH, North CS, Andriole GL, Cupps L, Song D, Ness TJ, Hong BA. Are you the author?
Division of Urologic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO; Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery/Division of Emergency Medicine, The North Texas VA Health Care System and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Division of Urologic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Reference: J Urol. 2013 Dec 19. pii: S0022-5347(13)06131-4.
doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2013.12.031
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24361369
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