Prevalence of Bladder Pain Syndrome-like Symptoms: a Population-based Study in Korea

To investigate the prevalence of bladder pain syndrome (BPS)-like symptoms in the general population of South Korea.

Between April 16, 2016 and April 29, 2016, we conducted an online survey and computer-assisted personal interviews with adults aged 40-79 years in Korea using structured questionnaires. The sample size was 3,000 (95% confidence level standard error ± 1.79%), and the sampling method was simple randomization according to sex, age, and residential area in proportion to the resident registration demographics of the Korean Ministry of Interior and Safety as of March 2016. All participants were surveyed using the Korean version of the Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency (PUF) Patient Symptom Scale and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The primary outcome was the prevalence of BPS-like symptoms, defined as a total PUF score of ≥ 12.

Overall, the prevalence of BPS-like symptoms was 16.4% (483 of 3,000 participants). Women (21.4%) had a significantly higher prevalence of BPS-like symptoms than men (10.7%) (P < 0.01). The prevalence by age was significantly higher in the 70s group than in the other age groups (P < 0.01), and increased significantly with the increasing severity of depression on the GDS (P < 0.01). The prevalence of BPS-like symptoms according to the marital status was significantly different, that is, the prevalence among divorced/bereaved individuals was higher than those of married or unmarried individuals (P < 0.01).

Our large, representative population-based study showed that BPS-like symptoms are widespread among the general population of South Korea. BPS is considered a disease that deserves greater attention as it is far more common than previously thought and can negatively affect many people's quality of life.