MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with interstitial cystitis are more likely to report histories of abuse than other patients, researchers report in the September issue of the Journal of Urology.
Kenneth Peters, M.D., of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., and colleagues compared surveys of 215 patients with interstitial cystitis, 121 with suspected cystitis and 464 controls.
The researchers found that 37 percent of cystitis patients reported abuse, compared to 22 percent of controls. Forty-nine percent of 76 cystitis patients reported abuse, including emotional (92 percent), physical (78 percent), sexual (68 percent) abuse and domestic violence (49 percent).
"Our study demonstrates an association between interstitial cystitis and abuse," the authors write. "Thus, it is important for clinicians to assess for abuse in women with interstitial cystitis or pelvic pain and provide appropriate referral to psychologists or health care workers to provide comprehensive care for managing their symptoms."
"These authors discuss an important association of previously experienced abuse and current symptoms of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome," according to an editorial by Carol Link, Ph.D., of the New England Research Institutes in Watertown, Mass. "Conversely, for patients who have experienced abuse, physicians should inquire about urological symptoms."
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