Articles:
Symptoms
The symptoms of IC/PBS are often misdiagnosed as a "common" bladder infection (cystitis) or a UTI. However IC/PBS has not been shown to be caused by a bacterial infection, and the mis-prescribed treatment of antibiotics is ineffective. The symptoms of IC/PBS may also initially be attributed to prostatitis and epididymitis (in men) and endometriosis and uterine fibroids (in ...Section: Interstitial cystitis
Causes
The cause of IC/PBS is unknown, though several theories have been put forward (these include autoimmune, neurologic, allergic and genetic). Regardless of the origin, it is clear that the majority of IC/PBS patients struggle with a damaged urothelium, or bladder lining. When the surface glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer is damaged (via a urinary tract ...Section: Interstitial cystitis
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome - pharmacological treatment
There is a substantial list of medications used to treat this disorder. Some of them are: Quercetin has shown effective in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in chronic prostatitis using 500 mg twice a day for 4 weeks Subsequent studies showed that quercetin, a mast cell inhibitor, reduces inflammation and ...Section: Prostatitis
Treatment - bladder distension
Bladder distension (a procedure which stretches the bladder capacity, done under general anaesthesia) has shown some success in reducing urinary frequency and giving pain relief to patients. However, many experts still cannot understand precisely how this can cause pain relief. Recent studies showing that pressure on pelvic trigger points can relieve symptoms may be connected. Unfortunately, the relief achieved by bladder ...Section: Interstitial cystitis
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome - signs and symptoms
These patients have no history of genitourinary pain complaints, but leukocytosis is noted, usually during evaluation for other conditions.Section: Prostatitis