Understanding Interstitial Cystitis: The Link Between UTI and IC
Is Interstitial Cystitis sometimes tied to a low-grade Urinary Tract Infection? This article by Christine Haran talks about this topic, which originally appeared at ABCnews.com.
An excerpt taken from Christine Haran's article:
What is interstitial cystitis (IC)?
It's a chronic disease of the bladder that is caused by deficiencies in the lining of the bladder, which allow irritants in the urine to leak through the coating of the bladder into the interstitium where all the nerves and nerve endings are located. These irritants in the urine irritate these nerve endings and basically initiate a cascade of events that is responsible for the symptoms that people with interstitial cystitis have. Part of this cascade is the release of substances that act on mast cells, which then release histamines. We believe that it is histamine that causes the bladder to sense frequency and urgency. The irritation also leads to the development of scar tissue in the bladder, which is less elastic than normal bladder tissue.
What causes these deficiencies in the lining?
Many women who have urinary tract infection-type symptoms, such as frequency, urgency and pain, are told by their doctors: "Oh, your urine test is negative. There is nothing wrong with you." These women, and men with urinary symptoms, shouldn't stop there because most of the time the culture that a doctor takes in the office is not going to show a chronic low-grade infection, which I feel is a risk factor for interstitial cystitis. But it's not normal to go to the bathroom every hour or to have sense of urgency all the time. So people need to keep on going until they find a doctor who will recognize that there is something wrong with them.
Her advice to people with IC symptoms:
Many women who have urinary tract infection-type symptoms, such as frequency, urgency and pain, are told by their doctors: "Oh, your urine test is negative. There is nothing wrong with you." These women, and men with urinary symptoms, shouldn't stop there because most of the time the culture that a doctor takes in the office is not going to show a chronic low-grade infection, which I feel is a risk factor for interstitial cystitis. But it's not normal to go to the bathroom every hour or to have sense of urgency all the time. So people need to keep on going until they find a doctor who will recognize that there is something wrong with them.
You can read her full article over at Central Park Urology's website.
PS, my IC was ruled out after I did DNA next generation testing which found I had low-grade e-coli UTI. I was dead sure I didn't have IC, because my problem started out with a raging UTI that was initially responding to antibiotics. My full story is here.
An excerpt taken from Christine Haran's article:
What is interstitial cystitis (IC)?
It's a chronic disease of the bladder that is caused by deficiencies in the lining of the bladder, which allow irritants in the urine to leak through the coating of the bladder into the interstitium where all the nerves and nerve endings are located. These irritants in the urine irritate these nerve endings and basically initiate a cascade of events that is responsible for the symptoms that people with interstitial cystitis have. Part of this cascade is the release of substances that act on mast cells, which then release histamines. We believe that it is histamine that causes the bladder to sense frequency and urgency. The irritation also leads to the development of scar tissue in the bladder, which is less elastic than normal bladder tissue.
What causes these deficiencies in the lining?
Many women who have urinary tract infection-type symptoms, such as frequency, urgency and pain, are told by their doctors: "Oh, your urine test is negative. There is nothing wrong with you." These women, and men with urinary symptoms, shouldn't stop there because most of the time the culture that a doctor takes in the office is not going to show a chronic low-grade infection, which I feel is a risk factor for interstitial cystitis. But it's not normal to go to the bathroom every hour or to have sense of urgency all the time. So people need to keep on going until they find a doctor who will recognize that there is something wrong with them.
Her advice to people with IC symptoms:
Many women who have urinary tract infection-type symptoms, such as frequency, urgency and pain, are told by their doctors: "Oh, your urine test is negative. There is nothing wrong with you." These women, and men with urinary symptoms, shouldn't stop there because most of the time the culture that a doctor takes in the office is not going to show a chronic low-grade infection, which I feel is a risk factor for interstitial cystitis. But it's not normal to go to the bathroom every hour or to have sense of urgency all the time. So people need to keep on going until they find a doctor who will recognize that there is something wrong with them.
You can read her full article over at Central Park Urology's website.
PS, my IC was ruled out after I did DNA next generation testing which found I had low-grade e-coli UTI. I was dead sure I didn't have IC, because my problem started out with a raging UTI that was initially responding to antibiotics. My full story is here.