Published 31 July 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2707
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b2707

Clinical Review

The management of interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome in women

Serge P Marinkovic, female reconstructive surgeon and women’s medicine specialist1, Robert Moldwin, associate professor of urology2, Lisa M Gillen, urology research associate3, Stuart L Stanton, professor emeritus of urogynecology and reconstructive surgery4

1 St Francis Hospital, 5255 Stop 11 Road, Indianapolis, IN 46259, USA, 2 The Arthur Smith Institute for Urology, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, 450 Lakeville Road, Suite M41, New Hyde Park, NY 11040, USA, 3 Division of Urology, Southern Illinois School of Medicine, Springfield, IL 62794, 4 St George’s Hospital, Tooting, London SW17 0QT

Correspondence to: S P Marinkovic urourogyn@yahoo.com

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.


Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome is a chronic, often debilitating condition, typified by exacerbations, remissions, and varying degrees of symptom severity
Symptoms include urinary urgency and frequency, with pelvic pain that varies from abdominal tenderness to intense pain
Patients have a 100 times greater chance of having irritable bowel syndrome and 30 times increased likelihood of systemic lupus erythematosus
Other associated illnesses include migraine, asthma, fibromyalgia, incontinence, chronic fatigue syndrome, and vulvodynia
A history of abuse (domestic violence and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) is higher than in controls (37% v 22%)
Drugs (amitriptyline, pentosan polysulfate sodium, prednisone, and ciclosporin) and minimally invasive surgery are effective treatments
In some patients symptoms are exacerbated by certain foods and drinks


Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome is a chronic, often debilitating, condition largely defined by symptoms of urinary urgency and frequency associated with pelvic pain that varies with bladder filling.1 Unlike . . . [Full text of this article]


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Nicholson, T. R, Kanaan, R. A, Wessely, S. (2009). Role of psychological factors. BMJ 339: b3424-b3424 [Full text]  

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