The National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease

The purpose of this symposium is to enlist expert opinion related to the multiplicity of factors involved in defining the urologic pelvic pain syndromes. Updates will be given on such topics as:  classifying urologic chronic pain syndromes, advanced diagnostic studies for characterizing the pain syndromes, epidemiological data for overlap of chronic pelvic pain syndromes, developing biomarkers for the chronic pain syndromes, and many other topics. The meeting will explore the pros and cons of developing a unifying definition, as well as the need for phenotyping persons with these disorders.  Interactive discussions will be strongly encouraged among speakers, participants, and the panel of consultants. The meeting will be informative for clinicians, basic scientists, patients, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical representatives, and the public interested in developing a further understanding of the urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes and associated disorders.  A major outcome will be development of a definition of these diseases and their phenotypes, which will be used in future NIDDK-funded research studies and the upcoming network for a Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Pelvic Pain. The meeting is open to all; however, preregistration is required because of seating limitations.