This subject comes up now and again. Thought it might be of interest, especially to those who are dealing with it.
Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet. 2017 Dec 14. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1609049. [Epub ahead of print]
Systematic Review of Oral Therapy for the Treatment of Symptoms of Bladder Pain Syndrome: The Brazilian Guidelines.
Santos TGD1,2, Miranda IAS2, Nygaard CC2, Schreiner L1,2, Castro RA3, Haddad JM4. Author information 1 School of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 2 Sector of Gynecology, Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. 3 School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP, Brazil. 4 Hospital das Clinicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Abstractin English, Portuguese
Interstitial cystitis (IC), including bladder pain syndrome (BPS), is a chronic and debilitating disease that mainly affects women. It is characterized by pelvic pain associated with urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia and negative urine culture, with normal cytology.
In 2009, the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology (SUFU) defined the term IC/BPS as "an unpleasant sensation (pain, pressure, and discomfort) perceived to be related to the urinary bladder, associated with lower urinary tract symptoms for more than 6 weeks duration, in the absence of infection or other identifiable causes.”
This is the definition used by the American Urological Association (AUA) in the most recent guidelines on IC/BPS.
Interstitial cystitis may be sufficiently severe to have a devastating effect on the quality of life, but it may also be associated with moderate symptoms whose effects are less debilitating.
Although there are several clinical trials to assess oral and intravesical therapies, the treatment for IC remains far from ideal.
See the rest of the abstract and get access to the full article below.
My two cents--I had bladder biopsy, etc. leading to IC diagnosis. Several doctors offered very little hope. After the fact, I realized that if my ibuprofen sometimes irritated the lining of the stomach, it could also irritate the lining of the bladder.
Sure enough, when I stopped the NSAID, the bladder was symptom-free. Some of my doctors knew I took anti-inflammatories, and none considered the connection.
I wonder how many women struggle with IC unnecessarily because no one told them. Oh, my.
Posted by MissVictoria (Member # 45232) on :
I have Interstitial Cystitis caused by Bartonella.
Anyone who has Lyme Disease and Interstitial Cystitis, or other bladder problems, should be tested for Bartonella, because Bartonella is known to attack the bladder.
Once I started taking Elmiron, I never had an extreme pain episode again. My bladder is almost completely better. Eating raw pumpkin seeds and drinking aloe vera juice when my bladder is bothering me helps me a lot, too. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and avoiding spicy and acidic foods, is really key to managing IC flare-ups.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
If you have IC, you should also consider Mast Cell Activation Syndrome as a possible cause.