Interstitial cystitis is a condition that causes pain and pressure in the bladder and surrounding pelvic area. According to the International Interstitial Cystitis Association, 8 million women and 1.5 million men in the United States have the condition. Interstitial cystitis is a chronic condition with fluctuating symptoms and times of remission. Other names for interstitial cystitis are pain syndrome, painful bladder syndrome and bladder pain syndrome. There is no definitive cure for the condition, but medication and other treatments offer relief from symptoms and improve way of life for sufferers.
Symptoms
Symptoms of interstitial cystitis include the urgent need to urinate often, up to 60 times a day for some people, pelvic pain with pain between the vagina and anus in women and the scrotum and anus in men, painful intercourse for women and painful ejaculation for men, and chronic pelvic pain.
Causes
Although no exact cause for IC is known, the following factors contribute to the condition: bladder or spinal cord trauma, pelvic surgery, bladder overdistention, or waiting too long to go to the bathroom, dysfunction in the pelvic muscles, bacterial infection, autoimmune disorders, and hypersensitive nerves in the pelvis, a condition called primary neurogenic inflammation.
Considerations
Researchers have found a certain substance unique to the urine of people with IC. The substance appears to block normal cell growth on the lining of the bladder wall, so they named it antiproliferative factor. Researchers hope learning more about the antiproliferative factor will lead to breakthroughs in treatment.
Diagnosis
A diagnosis of interstitial cystitis is arrived at after all other medical conditions are ruled out, and bladder pain with frequent urination and urgency is proven.
Treatment
Treatment options for IC include anti-inflammatory medications, antidepressants, antihistamines and Elmiron, which is a drug specifically developed to treat interstitial cystitis. Other treatments include nerve stimulation to relieve pelvic pain and urination frequency, bladder distention, in which the bladder is stretched with water or gas, and bladder instillation, in which medication is placed in the bladder to relieve inflammation and help with other symptoms. The final treatment option is surgery, but it is only used if all other options fail.
Tags: interstitial cystitis, pelvic pain, antiproliferative factor, bladder pain, chronic pelvic, chronic pelvic pain, cystitis chronic