Prevalence of Painful Bladder Symptoms and Effect on Quality of Life in Black, Hispanic and White Men and Women

Abstract

Painful bladder symptoms are more common than suggested by coded physician diagnoses. Although most bladder pain research cohorts have included predominantly white women, these population based findings indicate no racial/ethnic disparity and limited gender disparity in the prevalence of painful bladder symptoms. This suggests that the burden of painful bladder syndrome may be greater in nonwhite individuals and men than previously suspected.