Interstitialcystitis (IC) is a condition that results in recurring discomfort or pain inthe bladder and the surrounding pelvic region. The symptoms vary from case tocase and even in the same individual. People may experience mild discomfort,pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and pelvic area. Symptomsmay include an urgent need to urinate, a frequent need to urinate, or acombination of these symptoms. Pain may change in intensity as the bladderfills with urine or as it empties. Womens symptoms often get worse duringmenstruation. They may sometimes experience pain during vaginal intercourse.Because IC varies so much in symptoms and severity,most researchers believe it is not one, but several diseases. In recent years,scientists have started to use the terms bladder pain syndrome (BPS) or painfulbladder syndrome (PBS) to describe cases with painful urinary symptoms that maynot meet the strictest definition of IC. The term IC/PBS includes all cases ofurinary pain that cant be attributed to other causes, such as infection orurinary stones. The term interstitial cystitis, or IC, is used alone whendescribing cases that meet all of the IC criteria established by the NationalInstitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).Theurinary systempt.slideshare.netIn IC/PBS, the bladder wall may be irritated andbecome scarred or stiff. Glomerulations pinpoint bleedingoften appear on thebladder wall. Hunners ulcerspatches of broken skin found on the bladderwallare present in 10 percent of people with IC.Some people with IC/PBS find that their bladder cannothold much urine, which increases the frequency of urination. Frequency,however, is not always specifically related to bladder size; many people withsevere frequency have normal bladder capacity when measured under anesthesia orduring urologic testing. People with severe cases of IC/PBS may urinate as manyas 60 times a day, including frequent nighttime urination, also callednocturia.IC/PBS is more common in women than in men. Anestimated 3.3 million U.S. women, or 2.7 percent, who are 18 years of age orolder have pelvic pain and other symptoms, such as urinary urgency orfrequency, that are associated with IC/PBS.1Anestimated 1.6 million U.S. men, or 1.3 percent, who are 30 to 79 years old havepersistent symptoms, such as pain with bladder filling or pain relieved bybladder emptying, that are associated with PBS.Someof the symptoms of IC/PBS resemble those of bacterial infection, but medicaltests reveal no organisms in the urine of people with IC/PBS. Furthermore,people with IC/PBS do not respond to antibiotic therapy. Researchers areworking to understand the causes of IC/PBS and to find effective treatments.Many women with IC/PBS have other conditions such asirritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia. Scientists believe IC/PBS may be abladder manifestation of a more general condition that causes inflammation invarious organs and parts of the body.The diagnosis of IC/PBS in the general population isbased on thepresence of pain related to the bladder, usually accompanied by frequency and urgency of urinationabsence of other diseases that could cause the symptomsDiagnostic tests that help rule out other diseasesinclude urinalysis, urine culture, cystoscopy, biopsy of the bladder wall andurethra, and distention of the bladder under anesthesia.Althoughnot commonly done, in men without a history of culture-documented urinary tractinfections, the doctor might obtain prostatic fluid and examine it for signs