Interstitial cystitis is a chronic debilitating disease characterized by urinary frequency, urgency and bladder pain. Despite the first descriptions of this disease by Guy Hunner in 1914, it still remains """"""""The Great Enigma."""""""" The disease continues to defy a consensus definition, a definable pathophysiology or a reliably effective treatment. Multiple theories of pathogenesis have spawned a myriad of mostly ineffective treatments. Many physicians either doubt, or are unaware of the existence of this disease causing significant delay in diagnosis for many patients, especially men and children, where the disease is most poorly characterized. Since 1987 the NIH has begun a systematic, evidence-based effort to define interstitial cystitis determine its biochemical and clinical characteristics and evaluate novel therapies. Beginning with the NIDDK Workshop and Consensus Conference, the definition of interstitial cystitis has evolved from a restrictive instrument used for research papers, to a more inclusive criteria developed by the Interstitial Cystitis Data Base Group. The Interstitial Cystitis Clinical Trials Group proved that a collaborative multi-center group could recruit patients into rigorous, novel treatment protocols. The major objective of this grant is to develop the Interstitial Cystitis Clinical Research Network to continue the evolution in characterizing this disease. We propose evaluating a novel therapy, IPD-1151T, an immune system modulator with possible efficacy in interstitial cystitis patients. A published pilot study showed significant improvement in symptom scores with minimal side effects. The ICCRN will work in collaboration with the Chronic Prostatitis Clinical Research Network to investigate interstitial cystitis as a subset of chronic pelvic pain disorders of the bladder. A coordinated effort to develop common patient evaluation and treatment protocols, will allow an overarching analysis of these urologic pain syndromes.
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| Yang, Claire C; Burks, David A; Propert, Kathleen J et al. (2011) Early termination of a trial of mycophenolate mofetil for treatment of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome: lessons learned. J Urol 185:901-6 |
| Foster Jr, Harris E; Hanno, Philip M; Nickel, J Curtis et al. (2010) Effect of amitriptyline on symptoms in treatment naïve patients with interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome. J Urol 183:1853-8 |
