Validation of a Modified National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index to Assess Genitourinary Pain in Both Men and Women

Abstract

Objectives-To date, separate condition-specific instruments have been used to assess symptom severity in men and women with urologic pain conditions. A single instrument for use in both men and women would be helpful for assessing treatment response in clinical trials and cohort studies involving both genders.Methods-We developed the Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI) by modifying and adding questions to the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. To assess discriminant validity, concurrent validity, and reliability, we administered the GUPI to 1,653 men and 1,403 women in a large managed care population. To assess responsiveness, we administered the GUPI to 47 men and women who completed an NIH-sponsored trial of pelvic floor physical therapy.Results-The GUPI discriminated between men with chronic prostatitis or interstitial cystitis, men with other symptomatic conditions (dysuria, frequency, chronic cystitis), and men with none of these diagnoses (p<0.05). It also discriminated between women with interstitial cystitis, women with incontinence, and women with none of these diagnoses (p<0.05). The GUPI demonstrated good internal consistency within subscale domains, and GUPI scores correlated highly with scores on the Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index and Problem Index. The GUPI was highly responsive to change, and thechange in score was similar in both male and female responders. A reduction of 7 points robustly predicted being a treatment responder (sensitivity 100%, specificity 76%).Conclusions-The GUPI is a valid, reliable and responsive instrument that can be used to assess the degree of symptoms in both men and women with genitourinary pain complaints.

Inflammation and inflammatory control in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: Associations with painful symptoms

“…Upon study entry, participants had a blood draw, urine collection, physical examination and completed a battery of trans-MAPP questionnaires relating to pelvic and bladder symptoms which have been previously used to assess pain and symptom severity in urologic conditions. These included the 9-item Genitourinary Pain Index (GUPI)[7], the 19-item Female Sexual Functioning Inventory (FSFI) [34], and the 4-item Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI) [29]. The GUPI includes pain and urinary symptom subscales.…”

Correlates of Health Care Seeking Activities in Patients with Urological Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes: Findings from the MAPP Cohort

“…Separate scores for UCPPS pain severity and urinary severity were obtained from biweekly responses to the Genitourinary Pain Index 9 and the Interstitial Cystitis Symptom index 10 as reported previously 11 . At the time of each biweekly assessment, the within-person pain and urologic symptom variability was determined based on the standard deviation of pain scores and urinary scores, respectively, for the preceding 6-week time period 8 .…”

(241) Segmental hyperalgesia to mechanical stimulus in interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome - evidence of central sensitization

“…7 All subjects with IC/BPS underwent a urological evaluation including history and physical examination, and completed questionnaires including the ICSI and ICPI (IC Symptom Index and IC Problem Index), 8 PUF (Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency questionnaire) 9 and GUPI (Genitourinary Pain Index questionnaire). 10 Subjects with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or those who used narcotic pain medication were specifically excluded from the study. All participants signed an informed consent and were reimbursed for their effort.…”