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Observational Study
. 2022 Jan;207(1):161-171.
doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000002147. Epub 2022 Aug 25.

Experimental Pain and Auditory Sensitivity in Overactive Bladder Syndrome: A Symptoms of the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) Study

Steven E Harte  1 , Jon Wiseman  2 , Ying Wang  3 , Abigail R Smith  2 , Claire C Yang  4 , Margaret Helmuth  2 , Karl Kreder  5 , Grant H Kruger  1 , Brenda W Gillespie  2 , Cindy Amundsen  6 , Ziya Kirkali  7 , H Henry Lai  8 ; LURN Study Group
Affiliations
Observational Study

Experimental Pain and Auditory Sensitivity in Overactive Bladder Syndrome: A Symptoms of the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) Study

Steven E Harte et al. J Urol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of nonbladder sensory abnormalities in participants with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB).

Materials and methods: Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) study participants with OAB symptoms and controls were recruited from 6 U.S. tertiary referral centers. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed to determine pressure pain sensitivity at the thumbnail bed and auditory sensitivity. Fixed and mixed effect multivariable linear regressions and Weibull models were used to compare QST responses between groups. Pearson correlations were used to assess the relationship between QST measures. Associations between QST and self-reported symptoms were explored with linear regression.

Results: A total of 297 participants were analyzed (191 OAB, 106 controls; 76% white, 51% male). OAB cases were older than controls (57.4 vs 52.2 years, p=0.015). No significant differences in experimental thumbnail (nonbladder) pain or auditory sensitivity were detected between OAB cases and controls. Correlations between pressure and auditory derived metrics were weak to moderate overall for both groups, with some significantly stronger correlations for cases. Exploratory analyses indicated increased pressure pain and auditory sensitivity were modestly associated with greater self-reported bladder pain and pain interference with physical function.

Conclusions: As a group, no significant differences between OAB cases and controls were observed in experimental nonbladder pain or auditory sensitivity during QST. Associations between QST outcomes and clinical pain raise the possibility of centrally mediated sensory amplification in some individuals with OAB.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02485808.

Keywords: auditory perception; central nervous system sensitization; pain perception; pain threshold, pain measurement.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

S.E.H. received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for and outside the present work. He is co-inventor of the MAST device (US patent # 9307906) used in this study and a member of Arbor Medical Innovations, LLC, its licensee from the University of Michigan. He is also consultant for Aptuinyx, Eli Lilly, atai Life Sciences, and Heron Therapeutics, and has received research funding from Aptinyx and Arbor Medical Innovations. C.L.A. received research funding from NIH and BlueWind Medical Ltd. G.H.K. has received funding from the NIH; a co-inventor of the MAST system, and founder of Arbor Medical Innovations. H.H.L. received funding from the NIH. He is also a consultant or clinical investigator for Medtronic, Allergan, Neuspera, Teva, and IronWood pharmaceuticals. Y.W. was supported by an NIH K99 award (Grant # 5K99AT010012) and Indiana University Health – Indiana University School of Medicine Strategic Research Initiative.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) diagram for participant flow of Quantitative Sensory testing (QST) data in the Neuroimaging and Sensory Testing (NIST) study. Flow chart begins in topmost rectangle with the number of total enrolled participants and shows number (and reasons) for not having a NIST visit or for QST data not passing quality control (QC). The bottommost rectangle shows the number of participants with available and valid data for analysis.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Paneled graphic of log-transformed overactive bladder syndrome case vs. control ratings of pressure pain (top panel), auditory intensity (middle panel), and auditory unpleasantness (bottom panel). Only ascending series data are presented. In each panel, the stimulus applied is shown on the x-axis (kgf/cm2 for pressure and db HL for auditory testing), and the response is shown on the y-axis. At each stimulus level applied, the mean rating for case (blue dots) and control (red dots) participants are shown with corresponding unadjusted error bars.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Editorial Comment.
    Weissbart SJ. Weissbart SJ. J Urol. 2022 Jan;207(1):170-171. doi: 10.1097/JU.0000000000002147.01. Epub 2021 Oct 7. J Urol. 2022. PMID: 34617796 No abstract available.

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