Successful treatment of interstitial cystitis with sodium pentosanpolysulfate.

The surface of the bladder is lined by a layer of sulfonated glycosaminoglycans, of which the nonspecific anti-adherence effect is reproduced by synthetic sulfonated glycosaminoglycans. This mucous layer appears to be the most important line of defense between the transitional cells and all harmful substances in the urine. Many disease states may be associated with a deficiency in the anti-adherence activity of the glycosaminoglycan layer and may benefit from treatment with synthetic glycosaminoglycans. One such disease is interstitial cystitis. We administered oral sodium pentosanpolysulfate (Elmiron), a synthetic analogue of a sulfonated glycosaminoglycan, to 24 patients with interstitial cystitis. Within 4 to 8 weeks of initiation of treatment 20 patients experienced a decrease of at least 80 per cent in pain, urgency and nocturia, and 2 experienced a 50 to 80 per cent decrease in these symptoms. The 22 patients who responded continue to experience progressive improvement with time.