One of the most common diseases of the male genitourinary system is chronic prostatitis.As medical practice shows, every twelfth man of sexual maturity suffers from this disease, while in approximately 40% of cases it is diagnosed in patients 20-40 years old.Bringing physical suffering to its owner, chronic prostatitis often causes a deterioration in the patient’s general condition, interfering with his normal sexual and social activity.What is the nature of this disease, how to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis - and how favorable are the treatment prognoses if you are among those affected?
Causes of chronic prostatitis
Chronic prostatitis is a prolonged inflammatory process in the prostate gland, accompanied by pain and discomfort in the pelvic area, urination disorders and pathologies of male sexual function.
The prerequisites for the occurrence of chronic prostatitis can be infections, congestion in the prostate, benign hyperplasia, or a combination of these factors.There are several possible routes for infection to enter the prostate gland:
- with blood flow from foci of infection present in the body (pneumonia, caries, pustular skin lesions, sinusitis, etc.);
- with the influx of lymph from other organs (with dysbacteriosis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc.);
- through the urethra, sexually (one of the consequences of infectious urethritis).
Non-infectious, or abacterial, prostatitis is diagnosed 8 times more often than bacterial;Its occurrence is based on congestive processes and circulatory disorders in the prostate and adjacent organs.
Among the main reasons for stagnation of secretions in the prostate gland, urologists identify the following:
- irregular sex life, prolonged abstinence;
- defective ejaculation, practice of interrupted sexual intercourse;
- often unrealized sexual arousal.
The risk of chronic prostatitis increases in men with reduced physical activity, with severe or minor, but regular, hypothermia, prolonged exposure to stress, as well as in those who suffer from alcoholism.
Main signs of the disease
Chronic prostatitis occurs as a result of the lack of timely treatment, or ineffective treatment of acute prostatitis, and is a slow-acting inflammatory process in the prostate gland.
In most cases, being asymptomatic, the disease is usually detected in patients only during a medical examination, which is why every man is recommended to regularly visit a specialist to check for the presence of urological diseases.However, the so-called “latent” stage of chronic prostatitis can change to the acute phase after a man has suffered stress, an inflammatory disease, as a result of hypothermia, disruption of intimate life, etc. In this case, the following symptoms should serve as a signal for the need for an urgent visit to the doctor:
- increased sweating, especially manifested in the perineal area;
- itching or discomfort in the groin area;
- frequent urge to urinate, pain when urinating, urinary retention;
- discharge of prostate secretions through the external opening of the urethra after urination or defecation;
- slight increase (up to 37.5) body temperature;weakness, sleep and performance disorders;
- sexual dysfunction (unstable or weak erection, decreased libido, rapid ejaculation, orgasm disorders, pain in the pelvic area during ejaculation, etc.);
- pain of varying severity and intensity in the perineum, lumbosacral region, external genitalia
Taken together, these symptoms of chronic prostatitis can lead to disorders of the nervous system, characterized by neurotic states with the patient concentrating on his well-being.
Possible consequences of chronic prostatitis if left untreated
Unlike acute, chronic prostatitis is characterized by an alternation of wavy, periodic exacerbations and relatively long remissions, during which a man can feel absolutely healthy.It is the patient’s failure to contact a specialist that causes the further development of the inflammatory process.
If inflammation spreads through the genitourinary system, complications in the form of cystitis or pyelonephritis are likely, with possible transformation into urolithiasis.But most often, the result of advanced chronic prostatitis is vesiculitis (inflammatory disease of the seminal vesicles) or epididymo-orchitis (inflammation of the testicles).Both of these diseases can lead to intractable infertility, and sometimes to irreversible damage to male reproductive function.
One of the most severe outcomes of chronic prostatitis is scarring of the prostate tissue with shrinkage of the organ.This process often spreads to the back of the urethra and bladder, which leads to a persistent disruption of the outflow of urine.
The situation is significantly aggravated by the combination of the disease with prostate adenoma, which is most often found in men who have crossed the 50-year mark.By disrupting the outflow from the prostate gland, the adenoma provokes the progression of chronic prostatitis, so if the patient is indicated for surgical removal of a benign tumor, it must be preceded by treatment for prostatitis.
Diagnosis, methods and prospects for treating the disease
The initial appointment with a doctor consists of collecting information about the main symptoms of the disease, followed by a general examination, digital rectal examination and taking prostate secretions from the patient.Another diagnostic measure for making an accurate diagnosis is a transrectal ultrasound examination.
Before starting a course of therapy, a patient with chronic prostatitis must undergo a urine culture test and study the prostate secretion for the sensitivity of the flora to antibacterial drugs, in order to optimize the treatment method.
Modern medicine practices the following, traditionally used in combination, methods of treating chronic prostatitis:
- Antibiotic therapy.The use of antibacterial drugs is necessary to eliminate pathogenic bacterial flora that causes inflammation.The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the correct selection of medications, since if not all microorganisms are destroyed during therapy, the disease will sooner or later make itself felt again.For this reason, the patient must complete the course of antibiotics completely, without interruptions or other violations of medical recommendations.
- Physiotherapy.Prostate massage is one of the most effective components of treatment in the complex of such procedures.The essence of prostate massage is as follows: the effect on the gland helps to squeeze out the inflammatory secretion accumulated in it into the ducts and then into the urethra.At the same time, the quality of blood flow in the prostate improves, which enhances the effect of antibacterial drugs taken by the patient.In addition to prostate massage, a patient diagnosed with chronic prostatitis may be prescribed treatment with a laser, ultrasonic waves or through electromagnetic influence on the inflamed area.
- Immunocorrection.A long-term inflammatory process, such as chronic prostatitis, as well as independent or incorrectly prescribed antibiotics in the past can contribute to a significant decrease in the patient’s immunity.The goal of immunocorrection is to restore the body’s protective functions as much as possible.This is facilitated by normalizing lifestyle and visiting an immunologist.
Although not every case of chronic prostatitis, due to its various forms of complexity, can result in a complete recovery of the patient, the patient’s strict adherence to medical recommendations guarantees long-term, and possibly lifelong, remission of the disease.
How to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis?
Prevention of chronic prostatitis consists of following several basic rules:
- Change your lifestyle to a more active one.If it is not possible to play sports, do warm-up or gymnastic exercises daily.
- Avoid hypothermia.Do not sit on stone slabs, metal curbs, etc.
- For constipation, use laxatives, and if constipation becomes chronic, visit a doctor.
- Try to normalize your sex life.Excessive sexual activity, as well as long-term abstinence, negatively affects the condition and functions of the prostate gland.
- Do not practice casual sex; otherwise, give preference to protected sex.
- At the first suspicion of an STD, immediately consult a specialist; do not self-medicate.
- Visit your urologist at least once a year to rule out the possibility of a developing disease.
Be attentive to your men's health, and the diagnosis of “chronic prostatitis” will never stand in your way!