Introduction: The FM/a test is a cytokine assay of in vitro stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells that has been previously validated for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM). FM and Interstitial Cystitis / Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) share many common features, and cytokine abnormalities have been previously identified in both conditions. It has been hypothesized that the non-Hunner Lesion (HL) phenotype of IC/BPS may be more related to systemic pain syndromes and have overlap with FM. We hypothesized that patients with IC/BPS would also test positive on the FM/a test. Methods: Men and women =18 years of age with a diagnosis of IC/BPS were included in the study. Patients were excluded if they were taking immunosuppressants or oral or inhaled steroids. All patients were prospectively enrolled and completed the blood test as well as the AUA-SS and the O’Leary-Sant Symptom and Problem Indices. Charts were reviewed for chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) which include Irritable bowel syndrome, FM, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, and temporomandibular joint disorder as well as the prevalence of HL. Results: A total of 15 patients enrolled in the study. 73% (11/15) of patients tested positive for FM/a with a score > 50. Distribution of FM/a results is presented in Figure 1. One patient who tested negative reported being on Flonase and was excluded from further analysis. 13/14 had previously undergone cystoscopy for evaluation of HL. Demographic data is presented in Table 1. There was no difference in FM/a results among subjects with and without COPCs (70.8 vs 55.3, p=0.31) or HL vs Non-HL IC/BPS (65.2 vs 64.8, p=0.98). Conclusions: The FM/a test is highly positive in this small sample of patients with IC/BPS, the majority of whom do not carry a prior FM diagnosis. While the clinical utility of this test is uncertain, there may be potential to use this test to further phenotype patients with IC/BPS and/or clarify the diagnosis if in question. Further study of the sensitivity and specificity of the FM/a test in IC/BPS patients is warranted. SOURCE OF Funding: EpicGenetics paid for the laboratory fees and conducted the FM/a Test free of charge.
