Pain associated with the chronic pelvic pain syndrome is strongly related to the ambient temperature

Abstract

Objective. There are indications suggesting that the pain associated with the chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) may be related to cold. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate how the symptom intensity reported by the patient relates to the time of the year in a temperate climate, i.e. to the ambient temperature and to weather changes. Material and methods. Thirty-one patients, mean age 51 years (range 35–66 years), with CPPS for 17 ± 10 years (3–42 years) were asked to complete a set of questionnaires including questions concerning how they experienced their symptom intensity during the different seasons using the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) questionnaire. Results. The total NIH-CPSI score was 22.2 ± 8.2. There was a highly marked relationship between season and pain intensity as reported by the informants: it was experienced to be three times more intense during the winter months. All subjects reported that a temperature drop was associated with deterioration. Conclusion. The strong relationship between the ambient temperature, a drop in temperature and the pain experienced by men with CPPS confirms the association between cold and symptom intensity in the Scandinavian countries, where the seasonal temperature variation spans a long range and the winters are long. The cause of this relationship is still to be established. Muscular spasm/stiffness is a possibility that remains to be explored.

Key Words::

• chronic pelvic pain
• cold weather
• men

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.