Evaluation of urinary and general symptoms and correlation with other clinical parameters in interstitial cystitis...

Interstitial cystitis (IC) has been deemed by some authors as a local manifestation of a systemic disease, particularly one of the autoimmune disorders. In order to provide an answer to the question whether IC patients do or do not indiscriminately report high scores for various somatic symptoms, we compared University of Wisconsin scores (U-W scores), including both urinary and non-urinary symptoms, for 30 IC female patients and 30 female controls.

A total of 30 female patients with IC and 30 healthy female controls were recruited for the study. All patients had to meet the symptom criteria established by the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Each patient completed a University of Wisconsin symptom scale, after translation (WICS).

In the IC group median score was zero for all, but two of the reference symptoms: abdominal cramps and dizziness. All urinary symptoms were significantly increased in IC patients compared to controls. In the control group, the median value of urinary symptoms was zero. The duration of the disease was then related to IC symptoms in the patient group. Among the bladder-related symptoms, a good correlation was found for several specific symptoms and urinary symptoms as a whole. An association could be found between a positive potassium sensitivity test (PST) and burning bladder sensation, as well as pelvic discomfort.

IC patients had significantly higher scores for the seven urinary symptoms compared to controls. The duration of disease was found to be correlated with the group of seven urinary symptoms.