Understanding Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

Today on The Balancing Act, we educate our viewers on a disease that is only properly diagnosed and treated less than 20 percent of the time.

Although interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome is estimated to impact 5.5 million women and men in the United States, many patients struggle to receive a diagnosis. Some patients report seeing doctors for up to 10 years before an IC/BPS diagnosis is received. Without a diagnosis, patients are unable to secure treatment. Health care professionals are often unfamiliar with IC/BPS, so they’re unclear on how to diagnose and treat it. The diagnostic approach needs to be simplified—look for pain, pressure, and/or discomfort and rule out other diseases.

Because of this, it is important that there is accurate information about IC/BPS available to both patients and HCPs, to increase awareness, provide the best path to diagnosis, and elevate the importance of this disease. Dr. Christopher Payne and his patient Stacy Carnazzo share their medical and personal experience with IC/BPS.