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Ener K, Keske M, Aldemir M, Özcan MF, Okulu E, Özayar A, Ergin M, Doluoğlu ÖG, Çakmak S, Erel Ö. Evaluation of oxidative stress status and antioxidant capacity in patients with painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis: preliminary results of a randomised study. Int Urol Nephrol. 2015 Jun 7. [Epub ahead of print]

Oxidative stress refers to an imbalance between the body’s production of free radicals, which can potentially cause cell damage, and the production of antioxidants, which can provide defense against this damage. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the development of many diseases, from cancer to chronic fatigue syndrome. Now, researchers are bringing oxidative damage into prominence in terms of a potential mechanism for development of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). In particular, Ener and colleagues evaluated a variety of markers of oxidative stress in patients with IC/BPS. The study included 16 female IC/BPS patients and 25 healthy control subjects. They pinpointed several biomarkers related to oxidative stress that were indeed significantly higher in the IC/BPS group. Based on those markers, they were able to develop a model that succeeded in identifying IC/BPS more than 80% of the time with a fair degree of accuracy. More research into oxidative stress and IC/BPS might be merited to further evaluate the potential diagnostic role of these markers.