Interstitial cystitis
What is interstitial cystitis?
Interstitial cystitis or bladder pain syndrome is a chronic inflammation of the bladder.
Symptoms related to Interstitial cystitis are pain worsening with bladder filling and suprapubic discomfort or pressure sometimes radiating to the groins, vagina and rectum, urgency and increased daytime and/or night-time urinary frequency. There is no proven infection or other obvious local pathology
Inflammation associated with IC causes the lining of the bladder to scar and the bladder to stiffen, affecting the way the bladder expands when it fills with urine.
Diagnosis and management of interstitial cystitis
The diagnosis and management of this syndrome may be difficult in some patients. The diagnosis of interstitial cystitis is usually based on a thorough assessment and exclusion of other causes.
Investigations such urinalysis and midstream urine for urine cultures, urodynamic studies and cystoscopy and biopsy are often used for diagnosing of interstitial cystitis.
Management of interstitial cystitis is often difficult and only partially effective. Treatment is mainly symptomatic and supportive and oral or intravesical therapies are the mainstay of treatment whilst surgical procedures are reserved for refractory cases
