Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33109931›Full record

ArticleFemale pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery2021

Small Fiber Polyneuropathy Is Associated With Non-Bladder-Centric Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome Patients.

Tyler L Overholt, Catherine A Matthews, Robert J Evans, Gopal Badlani, Christine Ahn, Trang Simon, Stephen J Walker

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome in Men.Neurourology and urodynamics · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Tyler L OverholtFrom the Departments of Urology.
Catherine A MatthewsFrom the Departments of Urology.
Robert J EvansFrom the Departments of Urology.
Gopal BadlaniFrom the Departments of Urology.
Christine AhnDermatology.
Trang SimonInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, NC.
Stephen J Walker
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist · US

Funding

Molecular Characterization Of A Large Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Collection of Patients To Investigate Disease Progression in IC/BPSR01DK124599 · NIDDK · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI WALKER, STEPHEN · 2020 to 2022
$698k
Biomarkers for Molecular-Based Decision-Making in Diagnosis and Treatment of InteR21DK106554 · NIDDK · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI WALKER, STEPHEN · 2015 to 2016
$426k
NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK124599NIDDK NIH HHS R21 DK106554
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesInterstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) comprises at least 2 phenotypes. Bladder centric patients typically demonstrate low bladder capacity (BC), often with Hunner lesion (HL), whereas non-bladder-centric patients typically have normal cystoscopic findings and more co-occurring nonurologic symptoms/syndromes (NUS), contributing to widespread pain beyond the bladder. Small fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN) is significantly associated with fibromyalgia, a frequent IC/BPS codiagnosis and may play an etiologic role in IC/BPS. We assessed SFPN status in bladder-centric versus non-bladder-centric IC/BPS patients.

methodsDistal leg biopsies were obtained from 11 IC/BPS patients after therapeutic hydrodistention. Specimens were embedded/sectioned per standard protocol and stained for protein gene product 9.5, an intraepidermal nerve fiber marker. To determine SFPN status, intraepidermal nerve fiber density was calculated and compared with normative reference values stratified by age/sex. The SFPN prevalence and reported comorbidities were compared between low BC and/or HL-positive (bladder-centric) versus non-low BC, HL (non-bladder-centric) patients.

resultsSeven patients (63.6%) were SFPN positive. Non-bladder-centric patients demonstrated significantly more SFPN (6/7, 85.7%) compared with bladder-centric patients (1/4, 25.0%; P = 0.027). Non-bladder-centric patients also reported more comorbid NUS overall (1.25 ± 0.83 vs 5.86 ± 2.47; P = 0.003), including fibromyalgia (P = 0.010), migraines (P = 0.035), anxiety/panic disorder (P = 0.035), allergies (P = 0.027), and asthma (P = 0.035).

conclusionsIn this pilot study, SFPN was significantly more common in non-bladder-centric IC/BPS, that is, those patients who also reported greater prevalence of NUS, including fibromyalgia, migraines, anxiety/panic disorders, allergies, and asthma. These findings suggest that SFPN may have an etiologic role in a larger, systemic pain syndrome and should be explored further.

Indexed as

Cystitis, InterstitialPolyneuropathiesHumansPainPilot ProjectsUrinary Bladder

Identifiers

PMID33109931
PMCPMC8071833
OpenAlexW3095446991

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.