Devastating new research has emerged from the eye research team at Emory University (Atlanta GA), who were the first to identify retinal disease (pigmentary maculopathy) in patients using Elmiron/pentosan polysulfate.(1) They sought to determine if eye and retinal health improved or worsened over time AFTER stopping the medication.(2) Dr. Neiraj Jain, co-author of the [...]
Have you had a cystoscopy, certain that your doctor would find a severe bladder disease (or perhaps even cancer), only to be told that it looked perfectly normal? You then asked, "What's causing all of my bladder pain?" Your doctor might have shrugged in response, said "We don't know?" and prescribed yet another bladder [...]
A new study found that lactoferrin (bLf) is remarkably helpful at calming the bladder wall and preventing IC flares. Thirty one patients with an active history of IC flares in the previous six months used lactoferrin (Valpalf®) for 17 weeks.(1) Out of 31 patients, 28 women experienced no IC flares after treatment while only [...]
Researchers in China have discovered a potential new treatment for IC patients: intravesical interferon. Interferons are a class of antiviral drugs typically used for serious viruses. Administering them directly into the bladders of IC patients through bladder instillations seems to be helping some patients. For a few years now, researchers have speculated viruses could [...]
Dr. A. Lenore Ackerman (UCLA) is a rising star in the IC/BPS research community. Her specialty is the study of the microbiome, the bacterial communities that live within our body and, to our benefit, the urinary tract. In 2023, she was the first to suggest that some patients with IC/BPS and bladder pain may [...]
One of the questions we always ask patients who contact the ICN for assistance is to ask if they were traveling prior to the onset of their symptoms. Why? Because certain diseases can be contracted while traveling. Case in point: Tuberculosis (TB), a deadly infection that most often infects the lungs but can also [...]
Working toward a life less interrupted for people with IC/BPS. Living with interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) can be debilitating, but Ironwood is sponsoring a clinical research study of a new potential treatment that could offer relief. The IC/BPS Clinical Study will evaluate an investigational, foam-based drug designed to inhibit pain receptors [...]
One of the challenges that many IC patients struggle with is dry mouth, a common side effect of both antihistamines and antidepressants. To ease these symptoms, we have often turned to dry mouth products that contain xylitol. A sugar alcohol, xylitol has long been considered safe for use in humans and is commonly found [...]
How should we treat pelvic floor dysfunction? Should everyone get physical therapy? What if they don’t respond well to physical therapy? What other treatment options are available. New clinical guidelines for the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction were released in the Spring of 2024. Developed by eleven women’s health specialists, this first of [...]
I am delighted to share the very exciting news that a new antibiotic, Pivya (pevmecillinam) has been approved by the US FDA for women who struggle with simple, uncomplicated UTI's.(1) This new treatment that could ease the suffering and symptoms of millions of women in the USA struggling with Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and [...]
