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Interstitial Cystitis (Expert Forum)
Can interstitial cystitis go away?
Answered by
David A Burks, MD - Interstitial Cystitis, Urology
Henry Ford Health Systems
Detroit - MI
Questions in the Interstitial Cystitis forum are answered by Dr. David A. Burks, MD from Henry Ford Health Systems.
Can interstitial cystitis go away?
by progress, Jun 11, 2008 06:48PM
I've had a number of hydrodilations that have worked well..generally providing relief of symptoms for a few years each time. This condition was identified and treated for 10 years. It's now been 5 years since then and my last hydrodilation, and I've been doing fine. Is this a condition that can resolve?
Doctor's Answer
by David A Burks, MD, Jun 12, 2008 10:07PM
, Jun 12, 2008 10:07PM
HI,
IC is a condition where the symptoms wax and wane in some lucky patients with long periods without symptoms. We don't know why that happens, maybe the bladder wall repaired itself and the inflammation subsided. We don't know a lot about the natural history of untreated IC. You are also in the lucky 60% group of patients where your symptoms respond to hydrodistention. The theory is that distending the bladder causes a stretch injury to the hypersensitive nerves in the bladder wall desensitizing them and relieving symptoms. Unfortunately for most people the relief is usually temporary and the symptoms return in a few months. I have patients like you who have a lasting response to hydrodistention (years) and hydrodistention is their primary method of treatment and is worth the anesthetic and expense. Since you clearly had the disease in the past, you are probably still at risk for a recurrence. Good luck,
IC is a condition where the symptoms wax and wane in some lucky patients with long periods without symptoms. We don't know why that happens, maybe the bladder wall repaired itself and the inflammation subsided. We don't know a lot about the natural history of untreated IC. You are also in the lucky 60% group of patients where your symptoms respond to hydrodistention. The theory is that distending the bladder causes a stretch injury to the hypersensitive nerves in the bladder wall desensitizing them and relieving symptoms. Unfortunately for most people the relief is usually temporary and the symptoms return in a few months. I have patients like you who have a lasting response to hydrodistention (years) and hydrodistention is their primary method of treatment and is worth the anesthetic and expense. Since you clearly had the disease in the past, you are probably still at risk for a recurrence. Good luck,
