MAPP Research Network Sites Now Recruiting!!

The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network has been established by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to focus on a broader approach to the study of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)/Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS) in men and women, and Chronic Prostatitis (CP)/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) in men, than previously undertaken.

Patients with IC or CP are now being recruited for a new research study called the “MAPP Network Epidemiology and Phenotyping Study”!! By taking part in these studies, participants may help doctors gain a better understanding of how IC and CP affect individuals’ overall health and aid them in developing better treatments.

Like many chronic pain disorders, IC and CP are poorly understood and treatments are often not helpful. Our goal in the MAPP Network is to better understand the underlying causes of IC or CP. Through this study we also hope to better understand how IC and CP relate to other chronic pain conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia (FM), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).The MAPP Network studies are observational, which means we will ask questions and gather information about your health and life for research purposes, but we will not treat you or change any current treatments you may have for your condition. During this study, you will remain under the care of your usual physicians. The MAPP Network plans to enroll a total of 360 patients with some form of IC or CP at nine medical centers across the country, as well as a number of patients with IBS, FM, and CFS.

This is a 12 month study. After the first visit (Screening/Baseline visit), participants will be asked to come back to the clinical center twice during the next 12 months, as well as complete a brief biweekly (every other week) and bimonthly (every other month) computer questionnaires at home in between clinic visits. In addition to the clinic visits and online assessments, during the next 12 months participants will be asked to collect a maximum of 4 home urine samples to aid in our study of how symptoms change over time. Participants will also be given the option to enroll in additional network research studies that will provide new and important information for the main study.

To learn more about participating in the MAPP Network study at the below locations, check out the “Recruiting Sites” tab on the MAPP Research Network website at www.mappnetwork.org:

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
University of California, Los Angles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California

Posted March 26, 2010