Dr. Aaron Hartman explains that up to 8 million Americans have interstitial cystitis, yet 61% were initially told nothing was wrong. Patients typically wait four to seven years for diagnosis, often seeing multiple doctors while symptoms mimic UTIs, bladder issues, and pelvic pain.
Chapters
Up to 8 million people suffer with this in our country, between 1 to 4 million men and the rest are women. Yet the average time to diagnosis can be anywhere from 4 to 7 years. What I'm referring to is interstitial cystitis. It's something that a lot of people haven't heard of, but a lot of people are suffering with. It can look like a UTI, but yet at the same time, it can look like bladder issues, prostate issues. It can be pelvic pain. It can be a bunch of different symptoms, including some systemic muscle aches and pains. And it's commonly overlooked. And sometimes it just presents as pelvic pain or pain during intercourse. Yet 61% of the people diagnosed with this are told nothing was wrong initially and have been to multiple doctors. Just think about that. And how many people suffer with this? Again, 3 to 8 million US women, 1 to 4 million men. So that's a lot of people. Interstitial cystitis also requires special evaluation, cystoscopy, And lab testing to make sure nothing else is going on. That often doesn't happen for years and years and years. If you or a loved one has actually been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and it took years to get diagnosed, I'd be curious what they were told. Were they told it was chronic UTIs or all in their head or something else? Many times people just get told it's idiopathic, meaning the doctors don't know, and are sent away. It can take years to get diagnosed. And this is one of the many blind spots in our healthcare system. Commonly overlooked diagnoses that a lot of people deal with. So I'd be curious if this is something you or a loved one has dealt with. We're doing this whole series to actually help educate people that this idea of blind spots is actually not uncommon. It actually happens commonly. These are things that are just commonly overlooked. And the reality is, you know, in my practice, you know, these zebras, you know, these rare illnesses, et cetera, are actually really, really common. They're not rare. They're just commonly overlooked. So hopefully this information is helpful. Please share this series with individuals if you've been enjoying it, because it's It's been kind of fun talking to all the different blind spots and I've been— and to be reminded of what I didn't know 20 or 30 years ago that I know now, which is humbling to say the least. So, take care and I'll talk to you soon.
