Developing new ways to diagnose and treat chronic pelvic pain and inflammation, restoring quality of life to millions of Canadians who currently suffer from this painful condition, and ensuring health dollars are spent wisely when treating this problem.
Tier 1
Chronic pelvic pain: out of sight, but never out of mind
It’s one of those things that no one really wants to talk about, which may also explain why we really don’t understand it. But for more than eight per cent of men and three per cent of women, an inflamed prostate or bladder has serious consequences, significantly diminishing their quality of life, and sometimes leading to even more serious conditions.
As former Canada Research Chair in Urologic Pain and Inflammation, Curtis Nickel conducted a thorough, and long overdue, study of chronic pelvic pain and inflammation, often called chronic prostatitis and interstitial cystitis, more commonly known as painful bladder syndrome. His work has special importance for an aging population, particularly older men, many of whom will experience distressing urinary systems caused by an enlarged prostate.
Dr. Nickel’s work, focusing on helping patients and doctors, involved further developing an improved system to identify and classify these conditions. The goal was to allow for better diagnosis, and, more importantly, better monitoring of treatment. This monitoring could save millions of dollars, and has suggested that many current treatments, despite being widely recommended, are not, in fact, widely successful.
Dr. Nickel also worked with fellow Â鶹¹ÙÍø researchers to develop and pilot new treatments. Because this area of study was only recently developed, these studies were wide-ranging, investigating treatments that focus on the nervous and immune systems; that involve hormone, physio- and psychotherapy; and that use sexual therapy and non-traditional therapies like herbal medicine.
Urological pain and inflammation currently rob millions of Canadians of their quality of life, and, left unchecked, promise to become an even bigger problem as our population ages. Using this thorough, evidence-based approach, Dr. Nickel's goal was to ensure public health dollars are spent wisely, and help reduce the suffering that comes when addressing these painful conditions.