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Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis increase the risk of coronary heart disease
Ho-Mei Chen1, Ching-Chun Lin, Chih-Sen Kang
1Department of Internal Medicine, PoJen General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Insights
Bladder pain syndrome (BPS/IC) patients face a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). This study found BPS/IC increases CHD risk by 65% over three years, urging clinicians to screen for cardiovascular factors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Urology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Vascular factors are implicated in bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) etiology.
- Limited research exists on the BPS/IC and cardiovascular disease link.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between BPS/IC and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).
- To assess CHD risk in BPS/IC patients over a 3-year follow-up period.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective matched-cohort study using Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000.
- 752 female BPS/IC patients were compared with 3,760 controls, tracked for 3 years for CHD diagnosis.
Main Results:
- CHD incidence was 19.50 per 1,000 person-years in BPS/IC patients versus 8.87 in controls.
- Adjusted Cox regression revealed a 1.65 hazard ratio for CHD in BPS/IC patients (95% CI: 1.09–2.48).
Conclusions:
- BPS/IC is associated with an increased risk of subsequent CHD diagnosis.
- Clinicians should screen BPS/IC patients for modifiable CHD risk factors.
Aim:
Vascular factor was proposed as being involved in the etiology of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC). However, few studies have attempted to investigate the relationship between BPS/IC and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among BPS/IC subjects during a 3-year follow-up period.
Methods:
Data for this retrospective matched-cohort study were retrieved from the Taiwan "Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000." There were 752 BPS/IC female subjects in the study cohort and 3,760 randomly selected female subjects in the comparison cohort. We individually tracked each subject for 3 years and identified each subject that received a subsequent diagnosis of CHD during that follow-up period.
Results:
Results showed that incidence rates of CHD during the 3-year follow-up period were 19.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 14.35-25.95) and 8.87 (95% CI: 7.25-10.74) per 1,000 person-years for the study and comparison cohorts, respectively. The Cox proportional hazards regression suggested that the hazard ratio for CHD in subjects with BPS/IC was 1.65 (95% CI: 1.09-2.48) within the 3-year follow-up period following the index date compared to the comparison subjects after adjusting for monthly income, geographic region, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, chronic kidney disease, bladder outlet obstruction, urinary tract infection, chronic pelvic pain, overactive bladder, and number of physician visits during the 3-year follow up period.
Conclusions:
Our study demonstrated an association between BPS/IC and a subsequent CHD diagnosis. We advise clinicians to screen subjects with BPS/IC for modifiable risk factors for CHD.
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