title: Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome: appropriate diagnosis and management.
abstract: Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is characterized by urinary frequency, urgency, and pelvic pain in the absence of any other identifiable pathology. Initial identification of IC/PBS is challenging, as patients may have a range of symptoms that overlap with other disorders, including urinary tract infection (UTI). These patients may be treated empirically with antibiotics; however, many patients with such symptoms are actually culture negative and are later diagnosed with IC/PBS. This review describes the importance of recognizing the symptom overlap between IC/PBS and UTI and focuses on approaches to the diagnosis and management of IC/PBS. Physicians can improve patient care by considering IC/PBS early in the differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Female Pelvic Medicine, Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, Knoxville, TN, USA. Delli12@comcast.net
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dell
mesh_terms: D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000458:organization & administration; D018856:Cystitis, Interstitial / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000209:etiology; D013577:Syndrome; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D014563:Urodynamics; D016387:Women's Health