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Abstract
Objective
Intravesical hyaluronic acid [HA] therapy is one of acceptable methods to treat bladder pain and storage symptoms [i.e., urgency, frequency and nocturia] of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome [IC/BPS]. We aim to assess the impacts of intravesical HA on bladder pain and storage symptoms, respectively, and to investigate their associated factors in patients with IC/BPS.
Materials and methods
In this prospective, multicenter study, 103 women with refractory IC/BPS undergoing a standard protocol of intravesical HA therapy were enrolled. A pain Visual Analog Scale [VAS] and the Interstitial Cystitis Symptom and Problem Index [ICSI & ICPI] were used to assess symptoms and bother associated with IC/BPS. The Scaled Global Response Assessment [GRA] was used to evaluate patients' perception of overall changes in bladder pain and storage symptoms, respectively, after treatment.
Results
Mean age of participants was 43.6 ± 11.8 years. The average duration of symptoms was 5.1 ± 5.0 years. Significant improvements in pain VAS, ICSI and ICPI scores were observed after treatment. However, patients reported significantly different rates of moderate/marked improvement in bladder pain and storage symptoms [73.8% vs. 47.6%; P