Interstitial Cystitis Painful Bladder Syndrome, Bladder Infections
and Bladder Cancer

Bladder Pain And Pressure

Bladder pain and pressure can result from a number of bladder problems. This article will cover three of the most common: interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome, the bladder infection, and bladder cancer.

Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome This condition is sometimes simply called IC. Researchers believe interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome may be caused by a defect in the bladder wall.

When you have interstitial cystitis (often simply abbreviated IC), your bladder becomes irritated and inflamed. The inflammation causes the bladder wall to harden so that the bladder can't expand comfortably while filling with urine, causing the sensation of bladder pain and pressure.

Along with bladder pain and pressure, you may also feel pain in the pelvis. Patients often describe this pain, which may range from mild to severe, as a burning sensation. People with IC are likely to need to urinate more frequently or feel an urgent need to urinate. The pain is most acute when the bladder is full and eases upon urination.

It's estimated that approximately one million Americans suffer this type of bladder pain. It affects adult women most often, but can also happen to men and children.

Painful bladder syndrome may be caused by a defect in the bladder lining. It is a chronic condition that can have an adverse impact on the patient's quality of life.

Some bladder pain sufferers find relief using a medication called Pentosan polysulfate sodium (Elmiron). It is the only oral drug that is FDA-approved for treating interstitial cystitis, but it doesn't work for everyone. Some patients report that they've gotten relief from bladder pain from the antihistamine hydroxyzine (Vistaril, Atarax), and the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline (Elavil).

If bladder pain and pressure are relatively mild, over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen may help. 

Bladder pain and pressure from a bladder infection Most people are familiar with a bladder infection because almost everyone gets one sooner or later. A bladder infection is also called a urinary tract infection, or a UTI. The common medical name is cystitis.

Normally, the bladder contains no germs. But sometimes, bacteria find their way into the urethra, which is the tube that connects the bladder to the penis or vagina. Women are much more likely than men to suffer from this condition.

While a UTI most often causes bladder pain, it can also migrate upward to the kidneys, causing a dangerous kidney infection.

Symptoms of a bladder infection include:

• burning or stinging pain during urination,
• abdomen pain or tenderness,
• urgent need to urinate,
• pain or tenderness in the abdomen,
• cloudy, foul-smelling urine that may be tinged with blood, and
• a low grade fever.

Bladder infections are usually treated with prescription antibiotics. The pain goes away in a few days.

Anyone with a bladder infection should also drink a lot of fluids. This helps wash the bacteria out of the urinary tract.

Bladder cancer The most common type of bladder cancer is called transitional cell carcinoma. It originates in the innermost layer of tissue lining the bladder. Bladder pain and pressure are typical symptoms, but someone with bladder cancer may also experience

• bloody urine,
• pain during urination
• an urgent need to urinate often
• back pain.

To learn more about bladder pain from cancer, click on bladder cancer.

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