Nerve injury and/or compression can also trigger many of the symptoms that we associate with interstitial cystitis. They, however, experience more intense nerve driven pain that can have a burning or electrical quality to it, especially when sitting. Their pain is often positional in nature.
It is thought that this damage to the bladder wall then allows particles in the urine, such as potassium, to leak into the bladder lining. Once these particles get into the bladder lining, they can lead to a variety of body responses that may further damage the bladder and cause chronic nerve pain.
Interstitial cystitis (in-tur-STISH-ul sis-TIE-tis) is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain. The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe pain. The condition is a part of a spectrum of diseases known as painful bladder syndrome.
Brain white matter (axonal) abnormalities associated with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome in women suggest that neuropathological brain alterations exist in, and might contribute to, chronic pelvic pain syndromes.
Key points about interstitial cystitis
Symptoms of IC include changes in urination such as frequency and urgency; pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis, and the area between the anus and vagina or anus and scrotum; and pain during sex.
As your bladder starts to fill, you may feel pain—rather than just discomfort—that gets worse until you urinate. The pain usually improves for a while once you empty your bladder. People with IC rarely have constant bladder pain. The pain may go away for weeks or months and then return.
Interstitial cystitis is a severely debilitating disease of the urinary bladder. Symptoms of interstitial cystitis include excessive urgency and frequency of urination, suprapubic pain, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain. Interstitial cystitis interferes with employment, social relationships and sexual activity.
Recently, diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) or DWI has been used for the diagnosis of IC/BPS, where a high DW-MRI signal was found to be substantially higher in IC patients compared to normal controls [50,51]. They suggested that having a positive DW-MRI signal was suggestive of IC [50].
One of the greatest challenges to diagnosing IC/BPS is the significant overlap in symptoms between IC/BPS and other conditions such as urinary tract infection, vulvodynia and endometriosis in women, and chronic prostatitis and chronic orchialgia in men.
It is not a psychiatric disorder. Though it was once thought to be an orphan disease (defined as affecting less than 200,000 people), we now know that there are millions of women and men who suffer from IC/BPS (bladder pain syndrome).
In the early phase of IC the symptom flares are intermittent in most patients. Over time symptoms increase and pain cycles may appear and last for 3-14 days. When these cycles become more frequent and last longer they are likely to be referred to a specialist.
Pain, pressure, or discomfort in the lower abdomen or pelvic region. Pain while the bladder is filling up and relief when it is emptied. Pain during sexual intercourse.
These include: damage to the bladder lining, which may mean pee can irritate the bladder and surrounding nerves. a problem with the pelvic floor muscles used to control peeing. your immune system causing an inflammatory reaction.
Stress does not cause IC, but if you have IC, stress can cause a flare. Physical stress and mental stress can lead to flares. Remember, every flare will settle down and worrying about it only prolongs the discomfort. Understanding stress and how to minimize it is the best way to limit the intensity of your flares.
Dimethylsulfoxide — Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is a liquid medication that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). DMSO is put into the bladder through a temporary catheter and is held in place for approximately 20 minutes, if possible.
There is no definitive test to make the diagnosis of IC. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. Evaluation usually involves a detailed history, review of old medical records/ urine culture results, physical exam, urine tests, and voiding diary. Abdominal/pelvic imaging studies such as ultrasound or CT may be used.
Cystoscopy. Doctors may use cystoscopy to look inside the urethra and bladder. Doctors use a cystoscope, a tubelike instrument, to look for bladder ulcers, cancer, swelling, redness, and signs of infection. A doctor may perform a cystoscopy to diagnose interstitial cystitis (IC).
Interstitial cystitis is chronic inflammation of the bladder. People who have interstitial cystitis have a bladder wall that is irritated and inflamed (sore and red). This inflammation can scar the bladder or make it stiff. A stiff bladder can't expand as urine fills it.
IC/BPS is a heterogeneous and progressive syndrome. Patients with IC/BPS have bladder pain, urinary frequency, and urgency to varied degrees.
Living with IC can be difficult. Because there is no cure for IC, eating well and managing health is an important way to fend off flare-ups. Planning ahead for travel and other activities can make daily life easier as well. The Interstitial Cystitis Foundation has some tips for eating, exercise and travel.
Cationic metabolites in the urine of patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) might be responsible for initiating the process that ultimately leads to bladder pain symptoms, according to C.
Amitriptyline is the medication most commonly prescribed for interstitial cystitis. Elmiron is the only oral drug approved by the FDA specifically for interstitial cystitis. It improves the bladder lining, making it less leaky and therefore less inflamed and painful.
Risk factors
Gender: Women are more likely to have interstitial cystitis. Age: Most patients are older, with symptoms beginning as early as the 30s or 40s. Coloring: Those with red hair and fair skin are more likely to have it.