Warren, John W · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2014 · DOI
This study asks whether bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) is a type of functional somatic syndrome—a condition where symptoms are real but may not show up on standard tests. The researchers reviewed existing research and found that BPS/IC shares most characteristics with other functional somatic syndromes, suggesting that at least some cases of BPS/IC might work similarly to conditions like ME/CFS.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS because both BPS/IC and ME/CFS are often classified as functional somatic syndromes with real symptoms but minimal objective findings. Understanding shared mechanisms between these conditions could illuminate common pathological processes affecting multiple body systems and inform cross-condition therapeutic approaches.
This study does not prove that BPS/IC is caused by psychological factors or that it is purely psychosomatic. It also does not definitively establish that BPS/IC and ME/CFS share identical pathophysiological mechanisms, nor does it test this hypothesis experimentally—it only supports it as a conceptual framework. The classification as an FSS does not explain the underlying biological causes.
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
Warren, John W (2014). Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis as a functional somatic syndrome.. Journal of psychosomatic research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.10.003
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-warren-2014-bladder-pain,
author = {Warren, John W},
title = {Bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis as a functional somatic syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.10.003},
note = {PubMed: 25455811},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/warren-2014-bladder-pain},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/warren-2014-bladder-pain
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