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Your search term(s) "Interstitial Cystitis" returned 23 results.

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Overlapping Symptoms. Female Patient. 31(3): 5-7, 10. March 2006.

This article considers the difficulties of diagnosing painful bladder syndrome (PBS), also known as interstitial cystitis (IC). The author begins by emphasizing the importance of locating a health care provider who is knowledgeable about these conditions and willing to be persistent in finding the reason for the patient’s bladder pain, urgency, and urinary frequency. Pain, pressure, or discomfort are the most common and disabling symptoms of PBS and IC. These symptoms are usually worse with bladder filling and improve after the bladder is emptied. Left untreated, this condition can significantly interfere with a woman’s ability to work, sleep, care for her family, and have a normal home and social life. The author reviews the possible causes of PBS and IC, the tests that may be used as part of the diagnostic process, and common misdiagnoses that can occur on the path to correct diagnosis. The author compares PBS and IC to chronic or recurrent bacterial cystitis, overactive bladder, endometriosis, and chronic pelvic pain. Readers are encouraged to educate themselves about their condition and to work closely with their health care providers to find an accurate diagnosis and improve the symptoms.

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Urodynamics: What? When? Why?. ICA Update. p. 14-15. April-May 2006.

This newsletter article reviews the use of urodynamic testing, which is often used to monitor interstitial cystitis (IC). Urodynamics is a group of tests used to determine how the lower urinary tract is functioning. The author describes the different types of tests, including the uroflow test, filling cystometry (cystometrogram), videourodynamics, the urethral pressure profile, and the voiding pressure study (or pressure flow study). The author describes the equipment and instruments used, what the patient can expect to feel, and strategies that can make the procedures more comfortable for patients with IC or painful bladder syndrome (PBS). The article concludes with a section that describes how the information gained from urodynamic tests can be useful in diagnosis and patient care management. Some of the clinicians interviewed in the article maintain that urodynamic testing will probably only be used in about 10 percent of patients with suspected IC. Readers are encouraged to ask their health care provider specific questions about the benefits in their own case if urodynamic tests are recommended.

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Urothelial and Afferent Mechanisms Inducing Bladder Pain in Interstitial Cystitis. Journal of Neuropathic Pain and Symptom Palliation. 2(1): 3-22. 2006.

This article considers the urothelial and afferent mechanisms that can play a role in inducing the bladder pain associated with interstitial cystitis (IC). IC is a chronic disease characterized by urinary urgency and frequency, with bladder and pelvic pain on bladder filling. The authors caution that the symptoms of IC are easily confused with those of urinary tract infections (UTIs), but there is an absence of an underlying infection in IC, and antibiotic therapy is of no therapeutic benefit. The authors review the research supporting the potential pathogeneses of IC, including epithelial dysfunction, increased urothelial-afferent interaction, neurogenic inflammation, and hyperexcitability of bladder afferent pathways. The authors conclude that the syndrome of IC and painful bladder syndrome (PBS) may have multiple etiologies, all of which result in similar clinical manifestations. 6 figures. 172 references.

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What is Painful Bladder Syndrome?. Female Patient. 31(3): 2-4, 10. March 2006.

This article explores the problem of painful bladder syndrome (PBS), also known as interstitial cystitis (IC). The author begins by emphasizing the importance of locating a health care provider who is knowledgeable about these conditions and willing to be persistent in finding the reason for the patient’s bladder pain, urgency, and urinary frequency. The diagnosis of PBS and IC is usually somewhat complicated, involving the ruling out of other conditions (such as urinary tract infection), symptom checklists, a potassium sensitivity test, and cystoscopy. The author cautions that no one test can diagnose PBS and IC. The article then reviews treatment options, which include DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) instillation, an oral drug pentosan polysulfate sodium (Elmiron), other pain medications, lifestyle changes, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), bladder retraining, and surgery. The author stresses that it is not unusual to need to try more than one treatment, or to combine treatments, in order to get relief from the symptoms. Readers are encouraged to educate themselves about their condition and to work closely with their health care providers.

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Basic Guide to Bladder Health: How Much Do You Know About Your Bladder?. Linthicum, MD: American Urologic Association Foundation. 2005. 11 p.

This booklet describes the bladder and how to keep it in good working order. Topics include the anatomy and function of the male and female bladders, urinary tract infections, the different types of urinary incontinence (involuntary loss of urine), bladder cancer, bladder prolapse, interstitial cystitis, and steps that readers can take to help keep their bladders healthy. For each condition, the author outlines symptoms, diagnostic tests, etiology, treatment, and prevention. The booklet includes a glossary of terms, a list of resource organizations through which readers can get additional information, and blank space for readers to record any notes or questions. 2 figures.

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Management of Patients with Interstitial Cystitis or Chronic Pelvic Pain of Bladder Origin: A Consensus Report. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 21(4): 509-516. 2005.

This article presents a consensus report on the management of patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) or chronic pelvic pain of bladder origin. IC is much more prevalent than previously thought and is often misdiagnosed. IC can be a challenging disease to treat, but increased awareness, better diagnostic tools, and effective drug therapy can help non-urologists successfully manage their patients with this condition. The authors discuss in-office symptom-based techniques that have been developed to screen for the presence of IC in both women and men presenting with symptoms of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) or chronic prostatitis (CP); the symptom questionnaire is appended to the article. A treatment approach including both drug therapy and nonpharmacological therapies is often most successful. Drugs used include pentosan polysulfate sodium, hydroxyzine (an antihistamine), amitriptyline (an antidepressant), gabapentin (an anticonvulsant), and oxycodone (a narcotic analgesic). The authors caution that individual patient response to therapy varies, with some patients taking up to several months to achieve an optimal therapeutic response. Readers are encouraged to use a comprehensive patient care algorithm for the diagnosis and management of IC. Due to its chronic nature, patients with IC should be encouraged to take responsibility for management of their disease and be active participants in choosing a treatment course. 1 appendix. 1 figure. 2 tables. 36 references.

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[Interstitial Cystitis] Treatment Options: Treatment Guidelines. Rockville, MD: Interstitial Cystitis Association. 2004. 7 p.

This fact sheet outlines interstitial cystitis (IC), a chronic painful inflammatory condition of the bladder wall, and the goals, publications, and activities of the Interstitial Cystitis Association (ICA). IC can include urinary frequency, urgency, and pain associated with urination or sexual intercourse. Diagnosis can be difficult and should include urine cultures and cystoscopy with hydrodistention. Non-invasive treatment techniques, such as diet modification and self-help, may be used in combination with other, more aggressive treatment modalities. The fact sheet includes the ICA Treatment Guidelines, which cover the etiology (cause), who is affected, the symptoms, diagnostic approaches, treatment options, clinical trials currently underway and available to IC patients, experimental treatments being considered for study, and research advances.

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Early Diagnosis and Management of Interstitial Cystitis: What Primary Care Clinicians Should Know. Women's Health in Primary Care. 7(9): 1-8. October 2004.

This article updates primary care clinicians on the early diagnosis and management of interstitial cystitis (IC), a bladder disorder characterized by pelvic pain and urinary urgency or frequency. This condition may be much more prevalent than previously thought. Most patients with IC have only mild to moderate disease, with symptoms occurring in patterns of flares and remissions. Tools such as diagnostic questionnaires can help uncover the unique symptom complex of IC, and the potassium sensitivity test can be used in the office setting to diagnose IC. Other diagnostic tests used include the anesthetic bladder challenge and cystoscopy. The authors discuss treatment options, including behavioral and lifestyle changes, oral drug therapy, intravesical (in the bladder) drug therapy, hydrodistention, and experimental therapies and surgical approaches. The authors conclude that, with oral and intravesical medications, dietary changes, and behavior modifications, good results can be achieved in the majority of patients. Early treatment can control disease symptoms and may also decrease economic burden and disease progression. Figures include patient care algorithms and a patient symptom scale; one sidebar offers the perspective of a primary care physician who supports the use of patient surveys for detecting IC. 5 figures. 2 tables. 29 references.

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Interstitial Cystitis. IN: Foster, C.S. and Ross, J.S., eds. Pathology of the Urinary Bladder. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders. 2004. pp. 91-102.

This chapter, from a textbook on urinary bladder pathology, reviews interstitial cystitis (IC). The authors first briefly review the pathology of IC, then present demographic and clinical descriptions of a series of patients with IC who were examined histologically. The findings presented include light microscopic findings, ultrastructural studies, mast cells, autoimmunity and IC, pathogenetic complexity, and nitric oxide and IC. The authors conclude that diagnosis of classic and non-ulcer IC disease can be achieved from cystoscopic and histopathologic findings. However, the data indicate that IC may be a syndrome rather than a specific disease; additional research to clarify etiology and pathogenesis is needed. They note that the use of NIH-NIDDK guidelines is helpful in excluding IC-like conditions with different etiologies, such as carcinoma in situ, bacterial, or radiation-induced cystitis. The chapter includes full-color illustrations. 8 figures. 2 tables. 69 references.

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Interstitial Cystitis: Patient Fact Sheet. Pitman, NJ: Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates. 2004. 1 p.

This brief fact sheet provides an overview of interstitial cystitis (IC), an inflammation of the bladder that is not caused by bacteria. IC is characterized by a persistent urge to empty the bladder, as well as painful urination. The fact sheet reviews the epidemiology of IC, including its prevalence in women, then describes the associated symptoms. The fact sheet describes the diagnostic tests used to confirm IC and briefly outlines the treatment strategies, which include drug therapy, biofeedback-assisted pelvic muscle training, and dietary recommendations.

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