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Efficiency of questionnaires used to screen for interstitial cystitis
Leslie Kushner1, Robert M Moldwin
1Department of Urology, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York 11040, USA. lkushner@lij.edu
The Journal of Urology
|July 4, 2006
Summary
Two questionnaires can help screen for interstitial cystitis (IC), but neither is specific enough for diagnosis alone. The Pain, Urgency, Frequency Symptom Scale is more effective for detecting IC in patients with urinary symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Clinical Diagnostics
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- Interstitial cystitis (IC) diagnosis can be challenging due to overlapping symptoms with other urological conditions.
- Validated questionnaires are crucial for assessing IC severity and impact on quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic validity of two common questionnaires for interstitial cystitis (IC).
- To compare the effectiveness of the O'Leary-Sant Symptom Index (OSSI) and Problem Index (PI) against the Pain, Urgency, Frequency Symptom Scale (PUFSS) in discriminating IC.
Main Methods:
- Administered the OSSI/PI and PUFSS to 220 urology patients prior to diagnosis.
- Utilized parametric and nonparametric analyses to compare questionnaire scores between IC and non-IC groups.
- Employed Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to assess the discriminative efficiency of each questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Both OSSI/PI and PUFSS effectively distinguished interstitial cystitis from other diagnoses (p <0.001).
- The PUFSS demonstrated higher efficiency in detecting IC compared to the OSSI/PI.
- An optimal PUFSS cutoff score of 13 or greater was identified for IC detection.
Conclusions:
- While both questionnaires differentiate IC from other urinary pathologies, they lack the specificity for sole diagnostic use.
- These tools are valuable for screening patients with urinary symptoms to identify potential IC cases for further evaluation.
- Questionnaires can also aid in monitoring patients already diagnosed with interstitial cystitis.
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