Those of us with hay fever are painfully familiar with the distress that comes from days of high pollen – unstable leakage of nasal and nasal mucus, itchy ears, eyes and throat, blows of sneezes, and sometimes headaches chuing. Now, a new study suggests that, in people with a chronic pelvic position, high pollen may also cause episodes of pelvic pain.
More than 10 million people in the U.S. live with the mysterious set of conditions known as urologic malignant pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS) – a complication of complications that include bladder pain syndrome and interstitial cystitis. regional in women, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and chronic prostatitis in men. They can cause destructive symptoms such as urgent and frequent urination, distress within the pelvic area, and painful sex.
Researchers have cited UCPPS “as one of the most horrific urologic conditions to understand and manage” as it is not yet known what causes it and also the symptoms for debilitating symptoms. Diagnosis of interstitial cystitis in women, for example, may involve bladder inflammation where all other known causes have been ruled out.
Everything from bacteria to psychological causes has been studied without much clarification.
However, case reports have suggested that asthma and allergy medications can relieve UCPPS symptoms and patients have reported that allergies occur at the same time as other allergies. Washington University epidemiologist Siobhan Sutcliffe and colleagues therefore decided to take a closer look at the link between UCPPS with a known allergen.
The team compared the discount reductions of 290 patients with pollen levels and found that although daily changes in pollen counts did not appear to be linked, when pollen levels exceeded a “moderate” threshold, 22 symptoms appeared. a hundred or two days later.
“Our study provides evidence that shows that increased pollen counts could cause symptoms in people living with UCPPS,” Sutcliffe said.
The well-known process of mast cell activation in allergens that release the histamines they carry is suspected to contribute to some of these UCPPS conditions. Animal studies have shown that prolonged high levels of histamine in the filter can make the nerves of the bladder hypersensitive. And histamines in urine seem to stay elevated longer than in our blood because our bodies use this exit route to remove them.
The new research adds to this evidence and could help bring great relief to patients. But more research is needed to account for complex factors that may be missing, such as other environmental factors that may coincide with higher pollen levels or things like flower bouquets that have been lost. could contribute to flames.
“Patients may benefit from taking antihistamines on days with high pollen levels, or from allergy testing and immunotherapy,” Sutcliffe said.
This study was published in Journal of Urology.