Tuesday, October 28, 2008

October 31st is Interstitial Cystitis Awareness Day



What is Interstitial Cystitis
IC is a painful and often debilitating chronic condition where the bladder lining becomes irritated and inflamed causing symptoms such as pain in the pelvis, bladder, back or thighs; an increased need to urinate frequently or urgently; and/or pain during/after sexual intercourse.

Research indicates that the number of people who have IC may actually be higher than the current estimate of two million Americans since many people are not appropriately diagnosed and continue to face the daily frustrations associated with IC.

Diagnosis
IC can be tricky to diagnose because symptoms are easily mistaken for other urologic and gynecologic disorders, such as endometriosis, recurrent urinary tract infections and overactive bladder. As a result, it can take years and numerous visits to multiple healthcare professionals to achieve a correct diagnosis. In the survey, more than half of the respondents (58 percent) said their IC diagnosis took a year or more. More than half (56 percent) also said they had seen three or more healthcare professionals before their diagnosis.

Some Education Films





Interstitial Cystitis Awareness Day
National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
505 C Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 543-9693
(202) 543-9858 Fax
info@npwh.org
www.npwh.org
Materials available
Contact: Susan Wysocki

No comments: