Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome: results from the Boston area community health survey

Abstract

Purpose: We estimated the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome defined as pain increasing as the bladder fills and/or pain relieved by urination for at least 3 months, and its association with sociodemographics (gender, age, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) and psychosocial variables (sexual, physical, emotional abuse experienced as a child or as an adult, worry, trouble paying for basics, depression).

Materials and methods: The data used come from the Boston Area Community Health Survey, an epidemiological study of 5,506 randomly selected adults 30 to 79 years old of 3 race/ethnic groups (black, Hispanic, white).

Results: The overall prevalence of symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome was 2% (1.3% in men and 2.6% in women) with increased prevalence in middle-aged adults and those of lower socioeconomic status. Symptoms suggestive of painful bladder syndrome were more common in those who experienced abuse, in those who were worried about someone close to them and in those who were having trouble paying for basics. This pattern held even after adjusting for depression.

Conclusions: Painful bladder syndrome is associated with a number of lifestyle and psychosocial correlates. This suggests that the treatment of patients with painful bladder syndrome (physical symptoms) may benefit from a multifaceted approach of combining medical, psychological and cognitive treatment.

Figure 1

Prevalence of frequency, urgency and nocturia (percent) overall, and for men and women for BACH participants with symptoms suggestive of Painful Bladder Syndrome.

Figure 2

Prevalence (percent) of symptoms suggestive of Painful Bladder Syndrome by gender and age. The p value from a chi-square test of independent is .0925 overall, .3494 in men, and .0249 in women.

Figure 3

Odds ratios and 95 percent confidence intervals for the association of symptoms suggestive of Painful Bladder Syndrome and race/ethnicity before and after adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES). Note that gender and age are included in each model.