INTERSITIAL CYSTITIS (PAINFUL BLADDER SYNDROME)

What is it?

Interstitial cystitis (IC), (also known as Painful bladder syndrome, PBS) is a condition that results in recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region.  The symptoms vary from case to case and even in the same individual.  People may experience mild discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and pelvic area.  Symptoms may include and urgent need to urinate (urgency), a frequent need to urinate (frequency), or a combination of these symptoms.  Pain may change in intensity as the bladder fills with urine or as it empties.  Women’s symptoms often get worse during menstruation.  They may sometimes experience pain with vaginal intercourse.

In PBS, the bladder wall may be irritated and become scarred or stiff.  Glomerulations (pinpoint bleeding caused by recurrent irritation) often appear on the bladder wall.  Hunner’s ulcers are present in 10 percent of patients with IC.  Some people with IC/PBS find that their bladders cannot hold much urine, which increases the frequency of urination.  Frequency, however, is not always specifically related to bladder size; many people with sever frequency have normal bladder capacity.  People with severe cases of IC/PBS may urinate as many as 60 times a day, including frequent nighttime urination.

What causes it?
Some of the symptoms of IC/PBS resemble those of bacterial infection, but medical tests reveal no organisms in the urine of patients with IC/PBS.  Furthermore, patients with IC/PBS do not respond to antibiotic therapy.  Researchers are working to understand the causes of IC/PBS to find effective treatments.

How is it diagnosed?                                                    
Because of symptoms are similar to those of other disorders of the urinary bladder and because there is no definitive test to identify IC/PBS, doctors must rule out other treatable conditions before considering a diagnosis of IC/PBS.  The most common of these diseases in both genders are urinary tract infections and bladder cancer.  IC/PBS is not associated with any increased risk in developing cancer.  In men, common diseases include chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome.