About ESSIC
ESSIC is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and management of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Its members include scientists, researchers, and healthcare professionals from around the world who are engaged in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of IC/BPS.
Who we are
Following a first European meeting in 2003, ESSIC was established in Copenhagen in 2004 on the initiative of Jørgen Nordling, Professor of Urology at Herlev University, Copenhagen, Denmark. The society was originally named the European Society for the Study of Interstitial Cystitis, from which the acronym ESSIC was derived.
By 2010, the society recognized the need to expand its scope beyond Europe and welcome members from around the world. It therefore changed its name to the International Society for the Study of Bladder Pain Syndrome, while retaining the well-established acronym ESSIC.
ESSIC’s primary objectives
1
Promote, support, and advance research into IC/BPS in its broadest sense, contributing to a deeper understanding of the condition and its impact on patients
2
Facilitate the exchange of scientific knowledge and clinical experience, and advance understanding of IC/BPS through the organization of webinars, conferences, and other educational activities.
3
Foster global collaboration among urologists, urogynaecologists, researchers, and patient advocates in the field of IC/BPS from around the world, working in close partnership with similar organisations in the field.
4
Establish steering groups and committees to initiate, coordinate, and conduct studies on the epidemiology, aetiology, diagnosis, treatment, and other aspects of IC/BPS.
5
Develop and maintain a database of patients with IC/BPS to support research and improve understanding of the disease.
6
Publish evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and management of IC/BPS to improve patient care and promote international consensus on standardised terminology, definitions, and clinical practice.
ESSIC Publications
ESSIC published guideline proposals in 2004, 2008 and 2026 as follows:
Optimizing the Diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: An ESSIC Proposal.
Malde S, Akiyama Y, Janssen D, Lai H, Meijlink J, Nasta L, Samarinas M, Moldwin R, Riedl C, Wyndaele JJ, Cervigni M.
Eur Urol Open Sci. 2026 May 27;89:32-45. doi: 10.1016/j.euros.2026.04.007. PMID: 42255254; PMCID: PMC13233585.
Diagnostic Criteria, Classification, and Nomenclature for Painful Bladder Syndrome/Interstitial Cystitis: An ESSIC Proposal
van de Merwe JP, Nordling J, Bouchelouche P, Bouchelouche K, Cervigni M, Daha LK, Elneil S, Fall M, Hohlbrugger G, Irwin P, Mortensen S, van Ophoven A, Osborne JL, Peeker R, Richter B, Riedl C, Sairanen J, Tinzl M, Wyndaele J-J.
Eur Urol 2008;53:60-7
Primary evaluation of patients suspected of having interstitial cystitis (IC).
Nordling J, Anjum FH, Bade JJ, Bouchelouche K, Bouchelouche P, Cervigni M, Elneil S, Fall M, Hald T, Hanus T, Hedlund H, Hohlbrugger G, Horn T, Larsen S, Leppilahti M, Mortensen S, Nagendra M, Oliveira PD, Osborne J, Riedl C, Sairanen J, Tinzl M, Wyndaele JJ.
Eur Urol. 2004 May;45(5):662-9. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2003.11.021. PMID: 15082211.
In 2012 ESSIC published a book:
Editors: Jørgen Nordling, Jean Jacques Wyndaele, Joop P. Merwe, Pierre Bouchelouche, Mauro Cervigni, Magnus Fall.
Published: 14 November 2012. Springer New York, NY.
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6929-3