Suskind, Anne M, Berry, Sandra H, Suttorp, Marika J et al. · Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2013 · DOI
This study looked at how chronic conditions—including fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, and irritable bowel syndrome—affect quality of life in women with bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Researchers surveyed 276 women and found that fibromyalgia and IBS were linked to significantly worse physical and mental health outcomes, while ME/CFS showed no significant association. The findings suggest that treating bladder pain syndrome effectively requires addressing other conditions a patient may have.
For ME/CFS patients, this study is relevant because it examines the overlap between ME/CFS and other chronic pain/functional disorders (IC/BPS, FM, IBS), which frequently co-occur. Understanding how these comorbidities interact with quality of life outcomes helps inform integrated treatment approaches and validates the real-world impact of multiple concurrent conditions on patient wellbeing.
This study does not prove that fibromyalgia or IBS directly cause worse outcomes in IC/BPS patients; it only shows statistical association. The cross-sectional design prevents determination of causality or temporal relationships. Additionally, the lack of significant association with ME/CFS may reflect limited statistical power or differences in symptom overlap rather than true absence of impact.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Suskind, Anne M, Berry, Sandra H, Suttorp, Marika J, Elliott, Marc N, Hays, Ron D, Ewing, Brett A, et al. (2013). Health-related quality of life in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and frequently associated comorbidities.. Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0285-5
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-suskind-2013-health-related,
author = {Suskind, Anne M and Berry, Sandra H and Suttorp, Marika J and Elliott, Marc N and Hays, Ron D and Ewing, Brett A and Clemens, J Quentin},
title = {Health-related quality of life in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and frequently associated comorbidities.},
journal = {Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1007/s11136-012-0285-5},
note = {PubMed: 23054497},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/suskind-2013-health-related},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/suskind-2013-health-related
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