Interstitial cystitis.
Interstitial cystitis is a complex inflammatory condition of the bladder. The pathophysiology of interstitial cystitis is incompletely understood, although altered epithelial permeability, mast cell activation and sensory afferent nerve upregulation play critical roles. A unified understanding of the pathogenesis of interstitial cystitis is emerging and this will hopefully lead to the introduction of novel therapies for pain and irritative voiding symptoms. Interstitial cystitis is a common disease among women and is frequently misdiagnosed as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia among men.
Sant
G R
GR
Department of Urology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA. grannum.sant@es.nemc.org
Theoharides
T C
TC
D000818:Animals; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male