Contemporary Clinical Presentation of Interstitial Cystitis

For the purpose of presenting a comprehensive review of current information, the medical literature was reviewed to extract data related to the clinical presentation of interstitial cystitis (IC). The most common symptoms at diagnosis are urinary urgency, daytime frequency, dysuria, pain, and nocturia. The most common sites where pain is localized are the suprapubic, pubic, vaginal, and genital areas. Pain is commonly triggered or exacerbated by vaginal intercourse in women or ejaculation in men. The most common findings on physical examination are dysphoric mood, suprapubic tenderness, and anterior vaginal wall tenderness. A voiding diary typically shows an increased number of voids per day and reduced volumes per void. Overall, published reports in the literature indicate that the clinical presentation of IC is variable. IC is readily suggested by history, physical examination, and voiding diary findings.