膀胱過動症 （OAB）,相信大家都很熟悉, 特徵為急尿,頻尿。另外還有一個疾病:「間質性膀胱炎」,臨床表徵是頻尿,但漲尿時伴隨著下腹部「不舒服感覺」或是疼痛。許多患者甚至臨床醫師都有一個疑問:膀胱過動症和間質性膀胱炎是「兩種不同的疾病」?或是「一種疾病」,只是在不同階段有不同的臨床表現?這篇研究針對218位符合膀胱過動症診斷的患者。讓患者填寫問卷來評估排尿症狀,身體症狀,以及疼痛症狀。這些受試者依是否有「膀胱灌注時疼痛」與「尿急疼痛」分為三組:1.以上症狀兩者都沒有 2。有其中之一 3. 兩者症狀都有。

結果在218位診斷為膀胱過動症的婦女中,46%完全沒有膀胱灌注的疼痛或尿急時疼痛；43%有其中之一；11%兩者症狀都有。進一步分析,有疼痛症狀的婦女更容易有腸躁症（Irritable Bowel Syndrome ）慢性骨盆腔疼痛（chronic pelvic pain）,以及顳顎關節症候群(temporomandibular joint disorders；TMD)

這篇研究指出:許多診斷為膀胱過動症的患者其實也有膀胱疼痛的症狀。有疼痛症狀的膀胱過動症患者同時罹患「身體症狀」的比例較高,疼痛的程度也比較強。這項研究支持「膀胱過動症與間質性膀胱炎/膀胱疼痛症候群，可能是膀胱敏感度(bladder hypersensitivity)增加的一種臨床表現的持續過程」這種假說…」

Purpose: We investigated the relationship of painful bladder filling and urinary urgency to somatic and chronic pain symptoms in women with overactive bladder without an interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome diagnosis.

Results: Of 218 women with overactive bladder 101 (46%) had neither painful bladder filling nor urinary urgency, 94 (43%) had either symptom and 23 (11%) had both symptoms. When controlling for age, women with either or both urological pain symptoms were more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain and temporomandibular disorder than women in the neither group. Additionally, these women had higher pain intensity and somatic symptoms scores than women with neither symptom.

Conclusions: The majority of women with overactive bladder who had not been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome reported painful urgency and/or painful filling. Experiencing painful urgency and/or filling was associated with an increased somatic symptom burden and greater pain intensity. These findings support the hypothesis that overactive bladder and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome diagnoses may represent a continuum of bladder hypersensitivity.