Do all these symptom clusters mean anything

What conclusions or inferences can be drawn from the symptom clusters?

If only there were the Sickness behaviour, Ejaculatory-genital and Micturition problems symptom clusters it would reasonable to assume some urinary or kidney infection, but some signs, like e.g. fever and hematouria are missing.

What may the Seasonal cluster indicate? Seasonality and a cyclical pattern of excacerbations and remissions is a common finding in auto-immune disease. Could there be an auto-immune component to CPPS? Research is unfortunately not too helpful here. Most studies are small and preliminary.

What can the Pituitary cluster indicate? Yes the name of the cluster is very leading. I choose it to point out that the pituitary may be implicated in many odd symptoms reported by CPPS sufferers. What is interesting is that the Micturition, Cardio-vascular and, maybe, the Seasonal clusters also fit in. Sickness behaviour may fit in as indicative of a condition that cause the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that activates the HPA axis. Could that cause be infectious, auto-immune, dietary or environmental?

What about the remaining clusters? These are more difficult to fit in. Some, like mouth dryness, may be related to the pituitary (diabetes insipidus), abdominal pains may be caused by referred pain from the scrotum. Abdominal distension may be caused by pituitary dysfunction.

You may wonder if there are there any studies on the HPA axis and CPPS, or if these are only my personal musings? Yes, the pituitary angle is my personal idea, but when I perused PubMed to see if there were any studies made I did actually find a couple (see below for references).

A distinctive problem with the pituitary/HPA axis idea is that it may be related with dental amalgam fillings and mercury accumulation in the pituitary and not adrenal dysfunction as suggested by some. The association of amalgam and CPPS seems to never have been researched and the pretty infected debate re. mercury toxicity makes it doubtful if any researcher would be eager to endure the, possibly, years of controversy such a study would cause.

In the following I will review general information about CP/CPPS, current treatment and research into various etiologies, before returning to the symptom subject.

Andra bloggar om CPPS, kroniskt bäckenbottensmärtsyndrom, kronisk abakteriell prostatit, NIHIIIb, symptomkluster
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Anderson RU, Orenberg EK, Chan CA, Morey A, Flores V. Psychometric Profiles and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function in Men With Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. J Urol. 179(3):956-960, 2008.
Dimitrakov J, Joffe HV, Soldin SJ, Bolus R, Buffington CA, Nickel JC. Adrenocortical hormone abnormalities in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Urology 71(2):261-6, 2008.
Dimitrakov J, Guthrie D. Genetics and Phenotyping of Urological Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. J Urol. 2009 Feb 19.
Björkman L, Lundekvam BF, Laegreid T, Bertelsen BI, Morild I, Lilleng P, Lind B, Palm B, Vahter M. Mercury in human brain, blood, muscle and toenails in relation to exposure: an autopsy study. Environ Health. 6:30, 2007.