Magic Study

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 has a study currently running to identify these genes for susceptibility for interstitial cystitis. This study is entitled the Maryland Genetics of Interstitial Cystitis (MaGIC) study. The MaGIC study is investigating several hundred families with two or more blood relatives with interstitial cystitis. The study is seeking 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. Enrollment for this study is currently closed.

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