1507 A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SYMPTOM CLUSTERING AMONG WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS/ PAINFUL BLADDER SYNDROME, ENDOMETRIOSIS, VULVODYNIA, AND OVERACTIVE BLADDER

You have accessJournal of UrologyUrodynamics/Incontinence/Female Urology: Female Urology I1 Apr 20101507 A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SYMPTOM CLUSTERING AMONG WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS/ PAINFUL BLADDER SYNDROME, ENDOMETRIOSIS, VULVODYNIA, AND OVERACTIVE BLADDER Sarah Outcault, J. Quentin Clemens, Gery Ryan, and Sandra H. Berry Sarah OutcaultSarah Outcault Santa Monica, CA More articles by this author , J. Quentin ClemensJ. Quentin Clemens Ann Arbor, MI More articles by this author , Gery RyanGery Ryan Santa Monica, CA More articles by this author , and Sandra H. BerrySandra H. Berry Santa Monica, CA More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2010.02.1245AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Women present to physicians with complaints expressed in the form of symptoms. Physicians are faced with the problem of deciding what diagnosis to assign to symptom clusters. METHODS A total of 599 women with diagnoses of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and/or endometriosis, vulvodynia, or overactive bladder (OAB) were recruited from the clinical practices of urologists (n=8) and gynecologists (n=15) across the United States and interviewed by telephone. Subjects who reported pain, pressure or discomfort in the lower abdomen or pelvic area were asked to describe exactly what these sensations felt like. Responses were recorded verbatim, coded and analyzed. Network analysis methods were employed to assess the associations among multiple descriptors simultaneously to determine the extent of heterogeneity in patient experience within and across diagnoses. The analysis was restricted to the 473 women with who provided codable comments (IC/PBS=215, endometriosis=49, vulvodynia=34, OAB=68, IC plus other=92 and Mixed, not IC=15). RESULTS Most diagnoses were associated with at least one clear and interpretable symptom, as shown in Figure 1. For example, endometriosis was associated with cramping, vulvodynia with burning and itching, OAB with accidents and unproductive urination, and IC/PBS with urgency, pain before and after urination, pain all or much of the time, and pain located in the urinary tract or bladder. Being diagnosed with multiple conditions was associated with a range of symptoms that was difficult to interpret. Pain, pressure, bloating, and discomfort were associated with all of the conditions and did not associate closely with any one of them. Burning was associated with being diagnosed with IC/PBS and another condition, possibly due to a co-occurrence of IC/PBS and vulvodynia in some patients. CONCLUSIONS While some conditions were associated with symptoms that were distinctive, many common symptoms that women describe were associated with many of the conditions. This may make it difficult to assign a clear diagnosis. © 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 183Issue 4SApril 2010Page: e580-e581 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Sarah Outcault Santa Monica, CA More articles by this author J. Quentin Clemens Ann Arbor, MI More articles by this author Gery Ryan Santa Monica, CA More articles by this author Sandra H. Berry Santa Monica, CA More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...