The cause of interstitial cystitis is unknown. However, it tends to run in some families suggesting that there may be a genetic susceptibility to the disease. For instance, the disease is found 17 times more commonly in first-degree relatives (parent, sibling, or child) of patients with interstitial cystitis than in the general population. Furthermore, if one twin has interstitial cystitis, the disease is much more common in identical co-twins than fraternal co-twins. This evidence suggests that, in some families, genes that make a person susceptible to interstitial cystitis are being passed from one generation to the next.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health are performing a study to identify these genes for susceptibility for interstitial cystitis. This study is entitled the Maryland Genetics of Interstitial Cystitis (MaGIC) study. The MaGIC study will investigate several hundred families with two or more blood relatives with interstitial cystitis. The study will seek to find changes in genes that are found far more commonly in family members who have interstitial cystitis than in those who do not have the disease.Identifying these genes should lead to a better understanding of the cause of interstitial cystitis. Finding the cause is the first step to finding the cure.

This is a national study which is conducted by telephone and mail, and in which you can participate entirely from your home.