Prostatitisinflammatory disease of the prostate.It is manifested by frequent urination, pain in the penis, scrotum, rectum, sexual disorders (erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, etc.), sometimes urinary retention and bloody urine.The diagnosis of prostatitis is established by a urologist or andrologist based on a typical clinical picture and the results of a rectal examination.In addition, an ultrasound examination of the prostate and cultures of prostate secretions and urine are performed.The treatment is conservative - antibacterial therapy, immunotherapy, prostate massage, lifestyle correction.
General information
Prostatitis is inflammation of the seminal (prostate) gland - prostate.It is the most common disease of the urinary system in men.It most often affects patients aged 25-50.According to various data, prostatitis affects 30-85% of men over the age of 30.It is possible to develop a prostate abscess, inflammation of the testicles and appendages, which threatens infertility.Ascending infection leads to inflammation of the upper part of the urinary system (cystitis, pyelonephritis).
The pathology develops when an infectious agent enters the prostate tissue from the organs of the urogenital system (urethra, bladder) or from a distant inflammatory focus (pneumonia, influenza, sore throat, furunculosis).

Causes of prostatitis
Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Proteus, Klebsiella and E. Coli can be infectious agents in acute cases.Most microorganisms belong to conditionally pathogenic flora and cause prostatitis only in the presence of other predisposing factors.Chronic inflammation is usually caused by polymicrobial associations.
The risk of developing the disease increases with hypothermia, specific infections in the anamnesis, and conditions accompanied by congestion of prostate tissue.The following predisposing factors are identified:
- General hypothermia (one-time or permanent, related to working conditions).
- Sedentary lifestyle, a profession that forces a person to sit for a long time (computer operator, driver, etc.).
- Constant constipation.
- Disturbances of the normal rhythm of sexual activity (excessive sexual activity, prolonged abstinence, incomplete ejaculation during "normal" sexual intercourse, without emotional overtones).
- Chronic diseases (cholecystitis, bronchitis) or the presence of chronic infectious foci in the body (chronic osteomyelitis, untreated caries, tonsillitis, etc.).
- Previous urological diseases (urethritis, cystitis, etc.) and sexually transmitted diseases (chlamydia, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea).
- Conditions that suppress the immune system (chronic stress, irregular and improper nutrition, regular lack of sleep, overtraining of athletes).
Congestion of the prostate tissue plays a decisive role in the occurrence of prostatitis.Disturbance of capillary blood flow causes increased lipid peroxidation, swelling, secretion of prostate tissue and creates conditions for the development of an infectious process.
Symptoms of prostatitis
Acute prostatitis
There are three stages of acute prostatitis, which are characterized by certain clinical picture and morphological changes:
- Acute catarrhal.Patients complain of frequent, often painful urination, pain in the sacrum and perineum.
- Acute follicular.The pain becomes more intense, sometimes radiates to the anus, and increases during defecation.Urination is difficult, urine comes out in a thin stream.In some cases, urinary retention is observed.A low-grade fever or moderate hyperthermia is characteristic.
- Acutely parenchymal.Severe general poisoning, hyperthermia up to 38-40°C, chills.Dysuric disorders, often acute urinary retention.Sharp, throbbing pain in the perineum.Difficulty passing stool.
Chronic prostatitis
In rare cases, chronic prostatitis will be the result of an acute process, but usually a chronic course is observed.The temperature sometimes rises to a subfebrile level.The patient notices slight pain in the perineum, discomfort during urination and defecation.The most characteristic symptom is a slight discharge from the urethra during defecation.The chronic form of the disease develops over a considerable period of time.It is preceded by prostosis (stagnation of blood in the capillaries), which gradually turns into abacterial prostatitis.
Chronic prostatitis is often a complication of an inflammatory process caused by a specific infection (chlamydia, trichomonas, ureaplasma, gonococcus).In many cases, the symptoms of a specific inflammatory process mask the manifestations of prostate damage.The pain may increase slightly when urinating, slight pain in the perineum, little discharge may flow from the urethra during defecation.Minor changes in the clinical picture are often not even noticed by the patient.
Chronic inflammation of the prostate can manifest itself in a burning sensation in the urethra and perineum, dysuria, sexual dysfunction and increased general fatigue.The consequence of potency disorders (or the fear of them) is often mental depression, anxiety and irritability.The clinical picture does not always include all the listed symptom groups;it varies in different patients and changes over time.Chronic prostatitis is characterized by three main syndromes: pain, dysuria, and sexual disorders.
There are no pain receptors in prostate tissue.The cause of pain in chronic prostatitis is the almost inevitable involvement of nerve pathways in the inflammatory process due to the abundant innervation of the pelvic organs.Patients complain of pain of varying intensity - from mild aching to intense, disturbing sleep.The nature of the pain changes (intensifies or weakens) during ejaculation, excessive sexual activity or sexual abstinence.The pain radiates to the scrotum, sacrum, perineum, and sometimes the lumbar region.
As a result of the inflammation that occurs in chronic prostatitis, the volume of the prostate increases, compressing the urethra.The lumen of the ureter decreases.The patient experiences a frequent urge to urinate and a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying.Usually, dysuric phenomena are expressed in the early stages.Then compensatory hypertrophy of the muscle layer of the bladder and ureters develops.The symptoms of dysuria weaken during this period, and then increase again with the decompensation of adaptation mechanisms.
In the initial stage, dyspotency may develop, which manifests itself differently in different patients.Patients may complain of frequent erections at night, loss of orgasm or deterioration of erection.Accelerated ejaculation is associated with a decrease in the threshold level of stimulation of the orgasmic center.Pain during ejaculation can cause refusal of sexual activity.After that, sexual disorders become more prominent.In an advanced stage, impotence develops.
The degree of sexual dysfunction is determined by many factors, including the patient's sexual constitution and psychological mood.Impairment of potency and dysuria can be caused both by changes in the prostate and by the suggestibility of the patient, who, if diagnosed with chronic prostatitis, expects the inevitable development of sexual disorders and urinary disorders.Psychogenic dyspotency and dysuria develop especially often in suggestive, anxious patients.
Impotence and sometimes the risk of possible sexual disorders are difficult for patients to tolerate.There are often changes in character, irritability, bad mood, excessive concern for one's own health, even "disease".

Classification
There is no unified classification of the disease in modern urology.However, practitioners prefer this option to classify the inflammatory process of the prostate:
Depending on the course of the disease:
- Acute prostatitis.It accounts for more than 50% of cases of the disease in people no older than 30-35 years.
- A chronic possibility.It is not considered an age category.It does not manifest for a long time;the stimulus for its development is a cold or infection.
Due to the cause of the pathology:
- Bacterial inflammation of the prostate predominates in men under 40, occurs in the background of the ultrasound examination, and does not spread beyond the boundaries of the organ.
- Non-bacterial pathological changes in the gland, predominantly chronic.
- Viral inflammation of the prostate is characterized by an acute course that affects the entire genital area.
Depending on the nature of the structural changes in the prostate:
- Fibrous prostatitis is characterized by rapid, irreversible growth of the gland and requires radical intervention.Clinically, it resembles prostate adenoma.
- Inflammation of the prostate occurs due to the formation of stones within the prostate.It is considered a harbinger of cancer.
- Stagnant prostatitis, which is the result of a sedentary lifestyle, is diagnosed in every second patient.
Signs of the disease
If a man notices at least two of the following symptoms of prostatitis, he should immediately consult a qualified professional:
- Urinary incontinence with an intermittent, weak stream of urine that is unusually short, causing splashing, difficulty, and pain before urination.The frequent urge to empty the bladder occurs mainly at night.
- The pain, which is localized in the lower abdomen, radiates to the scrotum, perineum and rectum.
- Sexual dysfunction.
- Ejaculation problems, changes in sperm (consistency, quantity).
Complications
In the absence of timely treatment of acute prostatitis, there is a significant risk of developing a prostate abscess.When a purulent focus develops, the patient's body temperature rises to 39-40 °C and can become hectic.Periods of fever alternate with severe chills.Sharp pain in the perineum makes urination difficult and defecation impossible.
Increasing swelling of the prostate leads to acute urinary retention.In rare cases, the abscess ruptures spontaneously into the urethra or rectum.When opened, purulent, cloudy, unpleasant, pungent-smelling urine appears in the urethra;when opened, the stool contains pus and mucus into the rectum.
Chronic prostatitis is characterized by a wave-like course with long periods of remission, during which prostatitis manifests itself with latent or extremely minor symptoms.Patients who are not bothered by anything often stop treatment and come back only when complications arise.
The spread of the infection along the urinary tract causes the occurrence of pyelonephritis and cystitis.The most common complication of the chronic process is inflammation of the testes and epididymis (epdidymo-orchitis) and inflammation of the seminal vesicles (vesiculitis).The consequence of these diseases is often infertility.
Diagnostics
The characteristic clinical picture simplifies the process of diagnosing acute and chronic prostatitis.Mandatory:
Treatment of prostatitis
Treatment of acute prostatitis
Patients with an uncomplicated acute process are treated by a urologist on an outpatient basis.In case of suspicion of severe poisoning or purulent process, hospitalization is required.Antibacterial therapy is performed.Medicines are selected taking into account the sensitivity of the infectious agent.Antibiotics are widely used, they penetrate well into the tissue of the prostate and act on it.
In the event of acute urinary retention due to prostatitis, a cystostomy should be installed instead of a urethral catheter, as there is a risk of prostate abscess formation.When an abscess forms, endoscopic transrectal or transurethral opening of the abscess is performed.
Treatment of chronic prostatitis
Treatment of chronic prostatitis should be comprehensive, including etiotropic therapy, physiotherapy, correction of immunity:
- Antibiotic therapy.The patient is prescribed long antibacterial drugs (for 4-8 weeks).The type and dose of antibacterial drugs and the duration of treatment are determined individually.The drug is selected based on the sensitivity of the microflora, based on the results of culture of urine and prostate secretions.
- Prostate massage.Gland massage has a complex effect on the affected organ.During the massage, the inflammatory exudate accumulated in the prostate gland is pressed into the channels, and then, reaching the urethra, it is emptied from the body.The procedure improves blood circulation in the prostate, which minimizes congestion and ensures better penetration of antibacterial drugs into the tissue of the affected organ.
- Physiotherapy.Laser exposure, ultrasound waves and electromagnetic waves are used to improve blood circulation.If it is impossible to perform physiotherapy procedures, the patient is prescribed a warm medicinal microenema.
In the case of chronic, long-lasting inflammation, a consultation with an immunologist is warranted to choose the tactics of immune correction therapy.The patient receives recommendations for lifestyle changes.Certain changes in the lifestyle of patients with chronic prostatitis are both therapeutic and preventive measures.The patient is recommended to normalize sleep and wakefulness, modify the diet and moderate physical activity.

Treatment of acute prostatitis
Acute prostatitis requires bed rest, a special salt-free diet and sexual rest.
Course management methods:
- The most effective treatment for prostatitis is etiotropic therapy.If the prostatitis is based on an infection, the priority is a course of antimicrobial agents, which relieves the manifestations of the inflammation.
- The pain syndrome is alleviated with painkillers, antispasmodics, rectal suppositories, and microenjections with warm solutions of painkillers.NSAIDs can be used.
- The combination of immunostimulants, immunomodulators, enzymes, vitamin complexes and microelements has proven its effectiveness.
- Physiotherapy methods are possible only in the subacute stage of the disease.They improve microcirculation and increase immunity: UHF, microwave oven, electrophoresis, laser, magnetic therapy.
- Massage is another effective way to influence the prostate.It opens the channels, normalizes blood circulation in the scrotum and pelvis.
- Acute renal filtrate retention can be corrected by catheterization and trocar cystostomy.
- The purulent process means surgical intervention.
- Psychologist consultations.
Treatment methods of prostatitis

Antibacterial therapy is the most effective treatment for prostatitis.Herbal medicines, immune correctors and hormonal medicines can also be used as prescribed by the doctor.
In the absence of acute symptoms, prostatitis can be treated with physiotherapy.In case of abscesses and suppurations, surgical intervention is recommended.
Drug treatment
Treatment of prostatitis with antibacterial therapy should begin with a bacterial culture, the purpose of which is to assess the body's sensitivity to this type of antibiotic.If urination is impaired, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs gives good results.
Medicines are taken in tablets, in acute cases - as drips or intramuscularly.Rectal suppositories are effective in the treatment of chronic forms of prostatitis: with their help, drugs reach their goal faster and have a minimal effect on other organs.
Blood thinners and anti-inflammatory drugs have also worked.
Antibacterial therapy
Antibiotics are effective treatments for bacterial prostatitis.In order to achieve the desired effect and avoid damage to the body, the medicine, dosage and treatment regimen must be chosen by a doctor.In order to correctly choose the most effective drugs, you need to find out what type of pathogen caused prostatitis and examine the patient for tolerance to a specific group of antibiotics.
Antibiotics belonging to the fluoroquinolone group have been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic prostatitis.The purpose of their activity is to suppress bacterial infection and strengthen the body's own immunity.In addition, the bacteriostatic antibiotic trimethoprim is recommended for the prevention and treatment of concomitant diseases of the urinary system.
To treat prostatitis caused by mycoplasma and chlamydia, drugs belonging to the group of macrolides and tetracyclines can be taken, which slow down the spread of the infection.
The duration of taking antibacterial drugs is 2-4 weeks.In case of positive dynamics, the course can be extended.
Physiotherapy
In the treatment of prostatitis, the aim of physiotherapy techniques is to activate the blood circulation in the pelvis, improve the metabolic processes of the prostate gland and clean the channels.If physiotherapy is combined with antibiotics, the effect of the latter is enhanced.
The main methods are:
- magnet therapy;
- laser therapy;
- electrophoresis;
- warming up;
- ultrasound;
- mud therapy;
- high frequency irradiation;
- physiotherapy.

One of the oldest methods, transrectal massage of the prostate gland, is not proven effective according to modern research.
Non-specific treatments
Non-specific methods of treating prostatitis include:
- hirudotherapy;
- therapeutic fasting;
- acupuncture;
- diet according to the Ostrovsky method;
- alkalinization of the body using the Neumyvakin method.
We strongly recommend that you discuss any non-traditional methods of treating prostatitis with your doctor.
Surgical treatment
Surgical methods are used in complex and urgent cases:
- for drainage of purulent abscesses, which are removed by puncture using laparoscopic methods;
- in case of urinary difficulties due to damage to the urinary tract;
- with the large amount of the affected area;
- with a significant number of stones in the body of the gland.
Stones and sclerotic tissue are removed using endoscopic methods.Prostate resection is used in case of a larger affected area or more stones.
Transurethral resection is also effective in bacterial prostatitis.In this way, the risk of relapse can be reduced.
Folk remedies

Folk remedies for the treatment of prostatitis are probably not effective on their own, but they can be used in combination with medication and physiotherapy methods.These include: beekeeping products, decoctions of herbs and seeds, garlic, ginger tinctures, beaver stream, fresh vegetables, pumpkin seeds.
In acute cases of the disease, a doctor must be consulted, and self-medication must not be carried out under any circumstances!If a purulent abscess ruptures, death is possible.
Suppositories for prostatitis
In the treatment of prostatitis, rectal suppositories are much more effective than pills, if only because the rectum is much closer to the prostate, which means that the medicine will work faster.
The composition of drugs for the treatment of prostatitis can be completely different;they are prescribed to solve a specific problem.
- Antibacterial agents are particularly effective in prostatitis caused by chlamydia.
- Painkillers are used for symptomatic treatment;they relieve the pain well.
- Immunostimulants improve blood circulation, relieve swelling, and are used in complex therapy.
- Herbal medicines have a mild effect.They, like candles from beekeeping products, are used as a supplement to the main treatment.
- Ichthyol-based preparations promote blood flow in the area of the intestinal mucosa, which accelerates the reduction of inflammatory processes and slightly improves immunity.
- Enzyme-based products prevent the formation of scar tissue.It is recommended to take it as part of complex therapy with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and pain relievers.
Complementary medicines
For symptomatic treatment of prostatitis in men, for example, to relieve pain when urinating, you can also take antispasmodics, which relax the smooth muscles and thereby relieve pain quickly.
General health is promoted by blood-thinning and anti-inflammatory dietary supplements based on bee products, pumpkin oil and palm fruit extracts.
Diet and lifestyle
A proper, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are very important in the treatment of prostatitis.The food must not contain spicy, fried, salty or pickled foods.Alcohol is strictly prohibited in acute cases.
Food should contain enough fiber to avoid constipation.The protein content should be reduced.It is worth supplementing the diet with herbs, ginger, and pumpkin seeds.
Consequences of untreated prostatitis

Even if the symptoms of prostatitis do not appear for a long time, a regular examination by a urologist should be performed.Incompletely healed prostatitis can form calcifications, which must then be removed together with the gland.Experts are sure that there is no other way to remove or dissolve stones.
In addition, pathogenic microorganisms can migrate to neighboring organs, causing inflammation.Advanced prostatitis can cause the development of adenoma and prostate cancer.
Prognosis and prevention
Acute prostatitis is a disease that tends to become chronic.Even with proper treatment in time, chronic prostatitis is resolved in more than half of the patients.Recovery is not always successful, however, with correct and consistent therapy and adherence to medical recommendations, it is possible to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and achieve long-term, stable remission in the chronic process.
Prevention consists of eliminating risk factors.Hypothermia, periodic alternation of sedentary work and physical activity, and regular and nutritious meals should be avoided.In case of constipation, a laxative should be used.One of the preventive measures is the normalization of sexual life, since both excessive sexual activity and sexual abstinence are risk factors for the development of prostatitis.If symptoms of a urological or sexually transmitted disease appear, a doctor should be consulted immediately.























