Prevalence of autoimmune disorders among bladder pain syndrome patients’ relatives

Abstract

Purpose: Possible genetic background and autoimmune etiology of Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS, formerly Interstitial Cystitis, IC) has been suggested. We studied whether familial clustering of BPS, other autoimmune diseases or fibromyalgia exist among BPS patients' genetically close relatives; possibly reflecting some common predisposing genetic background of these diseases. Materials and methods: Altogether 420 first-or second-degree relatives of 94 BPS patients fulfilling the NIDDK criteria were asked to fill in a survey on the self-reported diagnosis of urinary tract diseases, fibromyalgia and 23 autoimmune diseases, together with filling the O'Leary-Sant symptom score. The ones with high symptom scores were interviewed and, if necessary, referred to a further clinical consultation. The prevalence of other diseases was compared to previously published prevalence percentages. Results: 334 (80%) of 420 family members returned the questionnaire. Only one of the relatives fulfilled the NIDDK criteria, and one sibling pair among the original BPS patients was found. Asthma, ulcerative colitis, fibromyalgia, iritis and rheumatoid arthritis were more common in the study population than in the reference populations. The reported prevalence of atopic dermatitis and rhinoconjunctivitis causing allergies were lower. In addition, the results show that the O'Leary-Sant symptom score is not reliable in screening for new BPS cases. Conclusions: Our study suggests that in BPS patients' families, fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases including asthma, and especially the non-allergic form of asthma, may be over-represented.

Serum anandamide and lipids associated with linoleic acid can distinguish interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome from overactive bladder: An exploratory study

“…15 Therefore, our approach using blood samples may reflect the basal pathological state of IC/BPS, which is a chronic disease that is relatively stable compared to acute conditions. As IC/BPS is often associated with immune-related diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory bowel disease, 48 the pathology of IC/BPS may be systemic rather than localized in the bladder. Therefore, it is reasonable to search for biomarkers in the blood.…”

Latest insights into the pathophysiology of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis

“…Additionally, BPS/IC seems to occur in many cases together with other chronic comorbidities such as allergies (e.g. atopic dermatitis) [3], autoimmune disorders (e.g. Hashimotos's thyroiditis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sj€ ogren's syndrome, lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis) [4,5], chronic inflammatory disorders (e.g.…”

“…Hashimotos's thyroiditis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sj€ ogren's syndrome, lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis) [4,5], chronic inflammatory disorders (e.g. ulcerative colitis and psoriasis) [3,4] and chronic pain and functional conditions [e.g. endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue] [3,4,6,7].…”

“…ulcerative colitis and psoriasis) [3,4] and chronic pain and functional conditions [e.g. endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue] [3,4,6,7]. This concordance might be explained by common underlying pathomechanisms, and conversely, it may indicate the importance of categorizing patients with BPS/IC into different phenotype groups with different pathomechanisms in order to provide appropriate treatment.…”

Risk of Autoimmune Diseases in Patients With Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Taiwan

“…Some studies have reported on autoantibodies in patients with IC/BPS ( 3 – 5 ). Kujala et al proposed a possible link between ADs and IC/BPS in patients with certain immunological factors or genetic predispositions ( 6 ). Numerous studies on autoantibodies against nuclear or bladder epithelium antigens in patients with IC/BPS appear in the literature ( 7 , 8 ).…”