Aims: The aim of this study was to clarify the prevalence of painful bladder syndrome (PBS) symptoms in adult women in the general population in Japan.
Methods: Web-based survey through an internet-based market research company that enrolled 561,631 men and women in Japan was conducted from January 9 to January 11, 2007. After the women allocated to four age groups; 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s or older, a total of 80,367 women, comprising an almost equal number from each age group, were then randomly invited to participate. The O'Leary and Sant symptom index was used as the questionnaire. The following classification was defined on the basis of the total points score: 0 to 3 points for negligible PBS symptoms, 4 to 6 points for mild symptoms, 7 to 11 points for moderate symptoms, and 12 to 20 points for severe symptoms. A category of possible cases of PBS was defined as severe PBS symptoms including nocturia (twice or more) and pain (2 points or more).
Results: A total of 32,074 women ranging in age from 20 to 88 years participated. 76.6% of respondents had negligible PBS symptoms, 17.3% had mild symptoms, 5.6% had moderate symptoms, and 0.5% had severe symptoms, respectively. The incidence rate of women with possible cases of PBS was 0.265% (85/32,074).
Conclusions: Comparison with previous reports revealed no difference in the prevalence of PBS symptom in adult women in the general population between Japan and Western countries.