Journal Article

The multi-generational familial aggregation of interstitial cystitis, other chronic nociplastic pain disorders, depression, and panic disorder

Allen-Brady, Kristina, Weissman, Myrna, Fyer, Abby J.

2023

Overview

Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC) is a chronic pelvic pain condition which has high comorbidity with other nociplastic, or unexplained, pain disorders [e.g. fibromyalgia (FM), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue (ME/CFS)] and some psychiatric conditions [major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD)]. Here we investigated the shared familiality of IC and these other nociplastic and psychiatric conditions. Subjects were identified in the Utah Population Database, which links genealogy data back to the 1800s to medical record diagnosis billing code data back to 1995. We computed the relative risk of each of these disorders among first (FDR), second (SDR), and third-degree relatives (TDR) of six proband groups: IC, FM, IBS, ME/CFS, PD, and MDD. Given the known familial aggregation of each of these disorders, we conducted our analyses to test for heritable interrelationships using proband subgroups whose members did not have the diagnosis assessed in their relatives. We observed strong evidence for heritable interrelationships among all six disorders. Most analyses indicated significantly increased risk for each of the six disorders in FDR, SDR, and TDR of all or most proband groups. Out of 30 possible bidirectional disorder interrelationships, 26 were significant among FDR, 23 were significant among SDR, and 7 were significant among TDR. Clustering was observed in both close and distant relatives. Our results support a common, heritable component to IC and other nociplastic and psychiatric conditions.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: 19th century / Anxiety / Bidirectionality / Charges / Chronic fatigue syndrome / Chronic pain / Chronic Pain - epidemiology / Chronic pelvic pain / Clustering / Comorbidity / Cystitis / Cystitis, Interstitial - epidemiology / Cystitis, Interstitial - genetics / Cystitis, Interstitial - psychology / Depression / Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology / Depressive Disorder, Major - genetics / Depressive personality disorders / Diabetes / Diagnosis / Disorders / Encephalomyelitis / Families & family life / Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic - epidemiology / Fibromyalgia / Fibromyalgia - epidemiology / Genealogy / Grandparents / Health risk assessment / Humans / Hypotheses / Interstitial cystitis / Irritable bowel syndrome / Irritable Bowel Syndrome - epidemiology / Irritable Bowel Syndrome - genetics / Kidney diseases / Medical coding / Medical diagnosis / Medical records / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Original Article / Pain / Panic attacks / Panic Disorder - epidemiology / Panic Disorder - genetics / Panic disorders / Pathophysiology / Risk factors / Somatoform Disorders - epidemiology / Twins / Working groups