Interstitial cystitis: etiology and clinic

Interstitial cystitis is a pathology accompanied by pelvic pain of unknown origin and frequent urination. A feature of the pathology is that inflammatory reactions develop in the submucosal layer of the bladder. This type of cystitis is a common cause of pelvic pain in women.

This disease is known to science for more than 120 years, but until now scientists have not been able to find out the pathophysiology and etiology of the disease, and there are also no clear criteria for diagnosis. It is suggested that the etiology of the disease is associated with infection of the urogenital tract, an antiproliferative factor, autoimmune mechanisms, bladder hypoxia , inflammation of its wall, dysfunction of the epithelium, an increase in the concentration of mast cells in the mucosa of the organ. These cells are responsible for the release of bioactive compounds that are mediators of inflammation. Many women are concerned about the so-called postcoital cystitis, which occurs a couple of hours after sex. The mechanism of this pathology is associated with the anatomical structure of the female urethra. In the process of coitus, vaginal mucus enters the urethra and provokes the development of inflammatory reactions.

Interstitial cystitis: signs

The main signs of the disease are intense, regular pain in the bladder, frequent urination, which is accompanied by an imperative urge. Patients with a diagnosis of "interstitial cystitis" feel pain and discomfort during sex. The nature and intensity of pain ranges from mild burning to severe, unbearable pain, localized in the bladder, vagina, hips, sacrum, perineum.

What to do with cystitis? Before the patient learns about his diagnosis and begins to receive appropriate treatment, he passes a thorny and hard path of several years, which consists of regular ineffective visits to clinic doctors. Quite often, patients have to undergo unsuccessful courses of antibiotic therapy. The situation is aggravated by the fact that many doctors prescribe outpatient treatment with the use of instillations in the bladder of aggressive chemotherapy (eg, argentum nitrate). Women are more likely to have an interstitial cystitis. Statistics show that the incidence of women is ten times higher than in men.

Interstitial cystitis is diagnosed on the basis of anamnesis and physical examination with a long-term clinic (frequent urination, pelvic pain, mandatory urges) after excluding diseases with similar symptoms. This disease should be differentiated from pathologies of an infectious nature: tuberculous cystitis, vulvovestubulitis, bartholinitis, viral, bacterial vaginitis.

Do not forget about the gynecological (inflammatory diseases of the pelvis, endometritis, fibromyoma, ovulatory pain, genital atrophy, etc.), urological (radiation cystitis, bladder cancer, bladder obstruction, urethritis, urolithiasis), neurologic (Parkinson's disease, Hyperactivity detruoza, multiple sclerosis, stenosis of the spinal canal, cerebrovascular pathology, osteochondrosis, etc.) diseases, the signs of which resemble interstitial cystitis. Due to inadequate diagnosis, unreasonable hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and laparotomy (minimally invasive surgical intervention) are possible.

The treatment methods are poorly designed, but, like with any chronic disease, they are aimed at improving the quality of life, as well as restoring the functions of the bladder.