How prevalent is cystitis?

Division of Urology, University of California, San Diego, Medical Center, San Diego, California 92103-8897, USA.

Objectives:

Traditional epidemiologic studies have significantly underestimated interstitial cystitis (IC) prevalence because they surveyed populations for diagnosed cases rather than screening for IC symptoms and evaluating suspected cases. Our earlier data have suggested that IC affects almost 25% of women. To test this hypothesis, we used a validated IC symptomQuestionnaire and intravesical potassium sensitivity testing (PST), history, and physical examination to determine the prevalence of IC in a fixed population of young women.

Methods:

All female members of the University of California, San Diego, third-year medical student class were asked to complete the Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency (PUF) scale. All those scoring 7 or greater were asked to undergo clinical evaluation, including urinalysis, urine culture, and PST.

Results:

Of 52 potential subjects, 49 (median age 26 years) completed the PUF scale. Of the 49, 15 (30.6%) scored 7 or greater; 5 of those 15 volunteered for PST. All 5 had negative urinalysis findings and were PST positive, for a 10% (5 of 52) rate of positive voluntary PST in the medical student population. All 15 subjects with PUF scores of 7 or greater reported being sexually active. Dyspareunia was present in 13 (87%) of the 15 women, including all 5 PST-positive subjects.

Conclusions:

We identified probable IC in 30.6% and documented IC in a minimum of 10% of the female medical students. These data suggest the estimate of IC prevalence in the United States should be vastly increased from approximately 1.5 million to perhaps 25 to 30 million women and that IC is highly prevalent in young women. Screening for IC-specific symptoms is a useful method for identifying undiagnosed IC cases.

Please click on the required question.

• 1  How is urine produced?
• 2  What is cystitis?
• 3  How prevalent is cystitis?
• 4  What is honeymoon cystitis?
• 5  What are Frequency and nocturia?
• 6  How prevalent are Frequency and nocturia?
• 7  What is urinary incontinence?
• 8  What is stress incontinence of urine?
• 9  What is urgency, urge incontinence and the urge syndrome?
• 10 What causes stress and urge incontinence?
• 11 What is dribbling incontinence?
• 12 How prevalent is urinary incontinence?
• 13 What is the urethral syndrome?
• 14 How can I record my bladder problems and monitor the effects of treatment?
• 15 What simple measures are available to reduce urinary incontinence?
• 16 What are pelvic floor exercises?
• 17 How successful are pelvic floor exercises?
• 18 What is bladder training?
• 19 How effective is bladder training?
• 20 Are there any alternatives to bladder training for urgency symptoms?
• 21 If simple measures do not suffice, what else is available for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence?
• 22 What are urodynamic studies?
• 23 Where can I obtain further information about bladder problems?
• 24 Support Groups.

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This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London - Specialist Interests - Reproductive Medicine including Infertility, PCOS, PMS, Menopause and HRT.

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