Unbearable abdominal pain and up to 60 toilets daily

Cystitis: First guideline for the treatment of interstitial cystitis

Especially in the cold season, many people suffer from a urinary tract infection. Interstitial cystitis / cystitis (IC) is a special form of cystitis. The predominantly female patients usually have piercing abdominal pain and have to go to the toilet up to 60 times a day. Diagnosis often takes years. Now, the first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease was created.

Especially girls and women suffer from bladder infections

Although it can also come in the summer, but in the cold winter months, the probability of developing a bladder infection, significantly higher. Most girls and women are affected by the inflammation of the urinary tract, which is often accompanied by urinary symptoms. But even men can get sick and then also feel a constant urge to urinate. Interstitial cystitis / cystitis (IC) is a special form of cystitis. Now a first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of the incurable illness was created, which is to contribute to a better supply of the concerned.

In an interstitial cystitis (IC), the predominantly female patients have piercing abdominal pain and have to go to the toilet up to 60 times a day. Now, a first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of this special form of cystitis has been prepared. (Image: absolutimages / fotolia.com)

Up to 60 toilets per day

Stinging pelvic pain and urination with up to 60 toilets over day and night: The predominantly female patients with an interstitial cystitis (IC) are under enormous suffering; often the disease leads to social isolation and disability.

In addition, the disease is still relatively unknown and difficult to diagnose the chronic inflammation of the bladder wall until today.

On average, it takes nine years to diagnose; in half of the patients more than 20 visits to the doctor's office are necessary until their distressing suffering gets a name.

The German Society for Urology (DGU) and the Association for Interstitial Cystitis, the ICA Germany eV (ICA) have now created the first German guideline on "Diagnosis and Therapy of Interstitial Cystitis (IC / BPS)" and thus a decisive step achieved for a better care of those affected.

Diagnosis and treatment of interstitial cystitis

The diagnosis "interstitial cystitis" is made after many years of medical odyssey finally 99 percent by urologists.

"With the interdisciplinary guideline, we now have the opportunity to inform about the subject areas, to sharpen the sensitivity of physicians for the IC in broad terms and to optimize the quality of care," said DGU spokesman Prof. Dr. med. Christian Wülfing in a message.

The guideline's addressees are mainly doctors and practitioners of urology, gynecology, general medicine, pain therapy and physiotherapy.

"After decades of efforts to set standards for the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, another key milestone has been achieved with a S2k quality guideline," says the national chairman of the ICA Germany, Bärbel Mündner-Hensen.

Disease is not curable

Cervical interstitial cystitis is not curable. Multimodal therapies, i.a. Drug therapies, bladder installations and pain therapy can only prevent the progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms.

Causes of IC, which is associated with comorbidities such as muscle and joint pain, migraine, depressive moods, allergies, colon and stomach problems, are not well known.

The disease is described as an immune and barrier defect in the tissue of the urinary tract, in particular the protective so-called GAG layer of the urinary bladder, whereby the bladder wall is increasingly exposed to damaging constituents of the urine and an ongoing inflammatory process can be triggered.

It is estimated that 18 out of 100,000 women are affected in Europe, and the number of unreported cases is very high. "The successful implementation of the guideline can counteract this," says DGU spokesman Prof. Wülfing.

The need for research remains high. "In order to be able to better explore therapeutic options, we need as a next step a scientific consensus on the exact differentiation of the various forms of the disease, which will allow a more accurate patient selection in future studies," says Mündner-Hensen. (Ad)