For many IC sufferers, the illness may start out like a bladder infection. In most cases, antibiotics fail to solve the problem. Many women report seeing several doctors before being correctly diagnosed. Recent epidemiological research indicates that the numbers may be higher. Once considered a rare disease that afflicted primarily elderly women, IC is now being identified more frequently among women in their 20s and 30s.
Most sufferers report feeling as though they have symptoms of a bacterial bladder infection.
The condition may evolve into constant pain in the pelvic and bladder areas. The pain increases as the bladder fills, causing the constant need to urinate. A majority of IC patients also say that coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and spicy or acidic foods may aggravate their symptoms. The effect of the disease on the quality of one's life, especially when it is undiagnosed or improperly treated, may be devastating. One study found that IC patients may be four times likelier to have contemplated suicide than the general age-matched population.