Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Nao Saito, MD (Urology)
After graduating from Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Dr. Saito worked at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Toda Chuo General Hospital, Tokyo Women's Medical University Yachiyo Medical Center, and Ako Chuo Hospital before becoming Deputy Director (current position) at Takasaki Tower Clinic Department of Ophthalmology and Urology in April 2020.
Content updated on Nov 22, 2024
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Frequent urination
Abdominal pain
Sudden urge to urinate
Bladder inflammation symptoms
Lower left abdominal pain
Lower right abdominal pain
Sense of incomplete bladder emptying
Painful urination
Bladder pain
Frequent urination at night
Dysuria
Feeling of heaviness in pelvic area
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Inflammation of the bladder's muscle layers. The exact cause is unclear so other treatable possible causes like infection need to be ruled out. Since the condition can last for a long time, coping strategies are important.
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
There are many treatment options available, so discussing with your primary care provider and a specialist is important. Simple measures like physical therapy and painkiller pills may help. Other treatment options include electrical stimulation procedures to improve blood flow to the bladder, or filling the bladder to stretch it and relieve symptoms. In severe cases that do not respond to the above, surgery can be considered.
Marcu I, Campian EC, Tu FF. Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome. Semin Reprod Med. 2018 Mar;36(2):123-135. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1676089. Epub 2018 Dec 19. PMID: 30566978.
https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0038-1676089Akiyama Y, Luo Y, Hanno PM, Maeda D, Homma Y. Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: The evolving landscape, animal models and future perspectives. Int J Urol. 2020 Jun;27(6):491-503. doi: 10.1111/iju.14229. Epub 2020 Apr 4. PMID: 32246572; PMCID: PMC7768977.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/iju.14229Akiyama Y, Hanno P. Phenotyping of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Int J Urol. 2019 Jun;26 Suppl 1:17-19. doi: 10.1111/iju.13969. PMID: 31144756.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/iju.13969Daniels AM, Schulte AR, Herndon CM. Interstitial Cystitis: An Update on the Disease Process and Treatment. J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 2018 Mar;32(1):49-58. doi: 10.1080/15360288.2018.1476433. Epub 2018 Sep 13. PMID: 30212267.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15360288.2018.1476433McLennan MT. Interstitial cystitis: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2014 Sep;41(3):385-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2014.05.004. Epub 2014 Jul 9. PMID: 25155120.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889854514000424?via%3DihubMale, 30s
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Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Nao Saito, MD (Urology)
After graduating from Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Dr. Saito worked at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Toda Chuo General Hospital, Tokyo Women's Medical University Yachiyo Medical Center, and Ako Chuo Hospital before becoming Deputy Director (current position) at Takasaki Tower Clinic Department of Ophthalmology and Urology in April 2020.
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1