INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain. The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe pain. Interstitial cystitis is noninfectious bladder inflammation that causes pain (suprapubic, pelvic, and abdominal), urinary frequency, and urgency with incontinence. These condition is a part of a spectrum of diseases known as painful bladder syndrome. Interstitial cystitis most often affects women and can have a long-lasting impact on quality of life.

SYMPTOMS

• Interstitial cystitis signs and symptoms include:
• Pain in your pelvis or between the vagina and anus in women
• Pain between the scrotum and anus (perineum) in men
• Chronic pelvic pain
• A persistent, urgent need to urinate
• Frequent urination, often of small amounts, throughout the day and night (up to 60 times a day)
• Pain or discomfort while the bladder fills and relief after urinating
• Pain during sex

CAUSES : The exact cause of interstitial cystitis isn't known, but it's likely that many factors contribute. For instance, people with interstitial cystitis may also have a defect in the protective lining (epithelium) of the bladder. A leak in the epithelium may allow toxic substances in urine to irritate your bladder wall. Other possible but unproven contributing factors include an autoimmune reaction, heredity, infection or allergy.

COMPLICATIONS : Interstitial cystitis can result in a number of complications, including:

Reduced bladder capacity. Interstitial cystitis can cause stiffening of the bladder wall, which allows your bladder to hold less urine.

Lower quality of life. Frequent urination and pain may interfere with social activities, work and other activities of daily life.

Sexual intimacy problems. Frequent urination and pain may strain your personal relationships, and sexual intimacy may suffer.

Emotional troubles. The chronic pain and interrupted sleep associated with interstitial cystitis may cause emotional stress and can lead to depression.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT:

Aconite -High fever, restlessness. Constant urging, yet fearful of voiding urine, on account of painfulness of the act; urine scanty, or passes in drops, burning and mixed with blood; tension, heat and tenderness over pubes; pinching around umbilicus, (<) when walking, children reach with their hands to the genitals and cry out; retention of urine from cold (sitting on stones, etc.), by suppressed perspiration, by fright or fear.

Ammonium-carb Violent tenesmus of the bladder with cutting, even at night, with diminished passage of urine, accompanied by burning; blood oozes from urethra.

Apis-mell Great irritation at neck of bladder, with frequent and burning irritation, repeated micturition every few minutes all day; scalding sensation and soreness when urinating; burning and stinging in urethra; difficult urination in children; incontinence, with great irritation of the parts, urine red, hot, bloody and scanty. Cystitis caused by the Spanish fly.

Arnica [Arn]Traumatic inflammation; constant urging while urine passes involuntarily in drops; haematuria; urine difficult, scanty, dark, with thick, brown sediment.

Arsenicum [Ars]Burning pain, especially at the commencement of urination; urine turbid, mixed with pus and blood; inability to pass the urine or what passes is turbid and purulent; bladder greatly distended and paralyzed; fever, great restlessness, cold perspiration, face and extremities cold. Chronic cystitis.

Asparagus Frequent and distressing tenesmus, urine loaded with pus and flakes of the mucous lining of the bladder; constant urging to urinate; burning in urethra during and after micturition.

Belladonna Sensation of turning and twisting in bladder, like a large worm, without desire to urinate; vesical region very sensitive to the least jar; urine HOT AND FIERY RED, clear at first, but soon becoming turbid on standing and depositing a copious, slimy, bright-red, bran like sediment; urine passed in drops with frequent urging.

Berberis - Cutting in bladder extending down urethra, burning pain even after urinating; urine yellow, turbid and flocculent; back lame and sore with pain in loins and hips, all (<) by movement; burning pain in bladder whether full or empty, (<) when lying or sitting, (>) while standing.

Cactus-grand Constant desire, urine passes in drops with much burning, URINATION PREVENTED BY CLOTS.

Caladium Sensation of fullness in bladder; vesical region painful to touch and pressure; violent pain during micturition, urine burns like has water.

Camphora Frequent urging, sometimes ineffectual, urine passes in drops, burning and tenesmus of the neck; retention, with pressure on bladder and desire to urinate, or slow emission in a slender stream, with burning in bladder and urethra; urine red, reddish- brown or yellowish-green, with a musty odor.

Cannabis-ind Burning and scalding, or stinging pain in urethra, before, during and after urination; urine loaded with slimy mucus, after exposure to damp cold, with pain in bladder and urethra, has to wait before urine flows, sometimes with much straining and urine dribbles away after stream ceases.

Cannabis-sat Pain in neck of bladder and both kidneys; urging to urinate every fifteen or twenty minutes; urine yellowish-white and the last mixed with blood; scalding when passed, but (<) after, at close of urination spasmodic closure of sphincter, with severe stricture and drawing up of anus; complete retention or constant urging, especially at night, with burning pains; passes only drops of bloody urine or flakes of blood in mucus or pus.

Cantharis - VIOLENT TENESMUS VESICAE AND STRANGURY; violent burning, cutting pains in neck of bladder, extending to fossa navicularis; (<) before and after micturition; violent pains in bladder, urging to urinate from smallest quantity of urine; painful discharge of a few drops of bloody urine, causing very sharp pain, as if a red- hot iron were passed along urethra; felt most acutely at membranous portion of canal and in meatus urinarius; spasmodic pain in perineum along the urethra and down the testes, which are drawn up; cutting pains through abdomen, which are distended and painful to touch, especially in bladder; urging (<) when standing or walking, (>) sitting; urine turbid, scanty, bloody; great thirst, but drinking and even the sight of water increases the pain; great restlessness and fever; children with gravel.