Diagnosis and Treatment Options of Interstitial Cystitis

Date:2018-12-05 click:0

Interstitial cystitis, is a chronic inflammation of the bladder wall which can often be confused with another disease, urinary tract infection. We can always see IC for short. 

 
What troubles patients a lot is that this disease is difficult to be diagnosed correctly. 
 
It is a fact that women are more prone to have interstitial cystitis than men. Whereas, IC is able to have influence on women, men and children at any age. 
 
No one knows exactly what causes interstitial cystitis, there are many theories about potential causes like bladder injury, frequent infections, autoimmune disorders, back injuries, diet, pharmaceutical drug use and others.
 
Symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis
 
Actually, symptoms of interstitial cystitis vary in type, severity, and duration. People with IC can experience various combinations of symptoms at different times in their lives, or even throughout the day. 
 
Primary IC symptoms are:
Pain between the vagina and anus in women or the scrotum and anus in men
Frequent urination, often of small amounts, throughout the day and night
Persistant and or urgent need to urinate
Pain or burning on external genitalia
Diagnosing Interstitial Cystitis
Pelvic pain
Feeling of pressure in pelvis
Pain during intercourse
Burning upon urination
Blood in urine
Cloudy or foul smelling urine
 
By the way, only a doctor or healthcare provider can diagnose interstitial cystitis. Even you satisfy all the symptoms, it is not wise to make autodiagnosis. We now proceed to how is interstitial cystitis diagnosed in detail.  
 
1.  Take a biopsy, most likely during cystoscopies, to test for differential diagnoses such as cancer.
 
2. Perform a urinalysis and urine culture to assess for the presence of bacteria. The presence of bacteria indicates a urinary tract infection, which may rule out interstitial cystitis. Normal urine may be an indication for interstitial cystitis.
 
3. Assess the symptoms. Interstitial cystitis may be accompanied by pelvic pain, pressure and tenderness. Women may experience pain during vaginal intercourse.
 
4. Perform a cystoscopy to visualize the bladder.
 
5. Use potassium chloride to diagnose interstitial cystitis. A potassium chloride solution and a water solution are placed into the bladder. If pain and urgency are felt with the potassium chloride solution, interstitial cystitis may be diagnosed. If there is no pain or urgency with either solution, interstitial cystitis is not likely.
 
1. Make sure the doctor does a cytoscopy, a test that allows him to look at the inside of the bladder and the urethra under anesthesia. The bladder will be distended with liquid and the doctor will look inside with a cytoscope, a lighted instrument. The doctor should look for small hemorrhages of the bladder to properly diagnose the disease.
 
2. Tell your doctor about your symptoms. Interstitial cystitis can send you running to the bathroom as many as 60 times per day in extreme cases. You may have pain, especially associated with sexual activity. The condition will not respond to antibiotic therapy.
 
3. See a urologist for an accurate diagnosis. The doctor should take urine cultures to rule out bacterial infections, and then rule out other possible diseases, including vaginal infections, sexually transmitted diseases, bladder cancer or endometriosis, among others.
 
4. Try different treatments to find relief for the condition. Try some herbal medicines. Pure traditional Chinese medicine is good at killing bacterial and promoting blood circulation. A lot of patients now have been cure by a magic traditional Chinese medicine called Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill. Studies have made to analyze its ingredients, and it is found that prescriptions in this medicine can quickly enter the lession and clear away toxic materials in the body. 
 
5. Consider eliminating spicy foods from your diet as well as tobacco, coffee and tea, which can aggravate interstitial cystitis.