Painful bladder syndrome (interstitial cystitis) is a syndrome consisting of bladder-related complaints related to urination. The diagnosis of painful bladder syndrome is constantly changing over the years. It is not known exactly what causes this syndrome. Diagnostic criteria will continue to change as the cause is better understood.
In patients;
Mild or extreme bladder pain
Feeling of urgency to urinate
Frequent urination is one of the most common symptoms.
This disorder affects both men and women. It is more common in women over the age of 40. There is no definitive data on how many people are affected by painful bladder syndrome, but studies show that 2% of women have complaints. The fact that the number of diagnosed patients is much less than this rate indicates that most patients cannot be diagnosed.
Diagnosis and treatment of painful bladder syndrome is one of the important diseases that affects the person’s quality of life because the cause is not well understood.
Therefore, the physician’s experience and preferences shape the treatment in the treatment of painful bladder syndrome.
Some of the many treatment options are effective for some patients. A large number of patients have to try more than one treatment option, and sometimes more than one treatment option at the same time.
Causes of Painful Bladder Syndrome (Interstitial Cystitis)?
There is little data on what causes interstitial cystitis — a painful bladder. It is not known whether abnormalities in the bladder cause the pain or whether abnormalities in the bladder develop as a result of an unknown disease that causes pain in the bladder.
When a painful bladder develops, the nerves in the bladder become very sensitive to the sensation of pain and pressure. In addition to the bladder, even the nerves in the abdomen, pelvis, hips and legs become more sensitive.
Conditions thought to cause painful bladder:
Urinary tract infection
Vaginitis or prostatitis
Having had surgery involving the bladder, pelvis or back area
Trauma (especially coccyx injuries)
For most patients, there is no clear explanation as to how and why painful bladder symptoms begin.
Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms
Painful bladder symptoms may vary from person to person, even in the same person’s attacks at different times. Common symptoms include:
Pain below the navel, which gradually increases during bladder filling and is partially relieved by urination
Pain while urinating, frequent urination, urinary urgency
Pressure, pain, discomfort in the pelvis
Feeling that the bladder is not fully emptied after urination
Having a constant urge to urinate
Pain during sexual intercourse, discomfort during sexual intercourse, decreased sexual desire, decreased frequency of orgasm
Patients experience some relief in their pain after urinating. Patients often have a frequent and urgent urge to urinate, day or night. Rarely, urinary incontinence may occur. The pain can range from mild burning to unbearably severe in the suprapubic (below the navel) region, that is, in the lower part of the abdomen, on the pubic bone.
While the reason for frequent urination in patients with overactive bladder syndrome is to prevent urinary incontinence, in painful bladder syndrome it is to reduce pain and prevent the feeling of discomfort by keeping the amount of urine in the bladder low. Some patients try to reduce their pain levels by sitting on the toilet for long periods of time to completely empty their bladder.
While some patients state that their pain worsens over months, some patients may say that they had serious pain from the very beginning. Patients whose painful bladder symptoms start suddenly can know exactly which symptom started when.
While painful bladder syndrome begins in some patients after urinary tract infection, surgery, or trauma, in some patients there is no triggering cause.
Patients with painful bladder may also have chronic pain due to spastic colon (IBS-irritable bowel syndrome), painful menstrual periods, endometriosis or prostatitis.
While in the active stages of these other diseases that cause chronic pain, patients may also have attacks of painful bladder syndrome. This turns into a situation where patients experience pain that is difficult to cope with.
Patients with severe interstitial cystitis may have to urinate every hour. This situation causes disruption of the person’s daily activities and sleep patterns. The work, home and sexual lives of patients who cannot cope with chronic pain are negatively affected.
At the end of the research, patients;
50% cannot work full time,
75% experience pain during sexual intercourse,
70% of them experience sleep disorders,
It was observed that 90% of them had their daily activities affected by the disease.