Short interval between symptom onset and medical care as an indication of rapid onset of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

To assess how many patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBlS) obtain medical care soon after symptom onset, and to determine how these patients differ from those who have medical care later.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a risk-factor study of IC/PBlS, we recruited women with IC/PBlS symptoms of < or =12 months' duration and carefully identified the onset date, first medical encounter and early clinical findings.

RESULTS

Of 138 women with IC/PBlS for < or =12 months, 49% sought medical care within 7 days and another 31% within 4 weeks. These patients had no easier access to medical care but rather experienced symptoms differently, with more evidence for discomfort and inflammation. However, subsequently they did not differ from those with more gradual onset in features indicative of IC/PBlS, i.e. Hunner's ulcers, petechial haemorrhages, symptoms, medications, or quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

A shorter time to the first medical encounter was not a function of greater access to medical care but instead was associated with more discomfort and evidence of inflammation, as distinct from those with more gradual onset. The 6-month follow-up of both groups indicated that no significant differences in IC/PBlS symptoms persisted. A careful study of rapid-onset IC/PBlS might provide clues to the pathogenesis of this enigmatic disease.