Interstitial cystitis an unfamiliar peril

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Interstitial cystitis, or IC, is a particularly painful bladder syndrome that is rarely recognized among women and often misdiagnosed, a U.S. survey finds.

Frequently, IC symptoms are mistaken for other better-known urinary or gynecologic conditions and as a result, women can wait up to four years or more to have IC accurately diagnosed, according to Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine.

"The face of IC is often hidden because there's little education about IC and its symptoms are commonly associated with more familiar conditions, such as urinary tract infections, overactive bladder and endometriosis," says Minkin.

IC is a chronic condition where the bladder lining becomes irritated and inflamed causing symptoms such as pain in the pelvis, bladder, back or thighs; an increased need to urinate frequently or urgently; and/or pain during/after sexual intercourse.

A survey of 520 women, by International Communications Research, finds 93 percent say their were familiar with UTIs, but 60 percent did not know that recurrent and unresolved UTIs -- more than two in one year -- could be a sign of IC.