What is Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome?
Interstitial cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder wall. The etilogy is unknown and there are no uniformly effective treatments. Symptoms are similar to an acute urinary tract infection, and include pelvic pain, urinary urgency and urinary frequency. However, urine cultures are negative and patients do not respond to antibiotics. An estimated one million people in the United States suffer from IC/PBS — 90 percent of whom are women — a conservative estimate because many people with IC/PBS are either misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed. The incidence of IC/PBS is similar to that of Parkinson’s disease, yet few people are aware of the condition. IC/PBS may be associated with other conditions such as vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. Epidemiological studies reveal that it takes, on average, five to seven years to obtain an accurate diagnosis of IC/PBS and that IC/PBS patients score worse on quality of life measures
