Prostatitis: causes, symptoms and treatment of the disease

Inflammation of prostate tissue, unfortunately, is not uncommon for modern men.Prostatitis most often occurs in patients over 40 years of age, but it is possible to develop this disease at an earlier age.With careful attention to his health and timely contact with a urologist, a man can completely cope with the problem and avoid many complications.In order to detect the disease in time, you need to know what symptoms of prostatitis are characteristic.Diagnosis of this disease is well established in modern medicine and does not pose a problem.Any urologist knows how to cure prostatitis, what methods to use in each specific case.The greatest success comes from complex treatment, including various methods.

Causes and provoking factors of prostatitis

What is prostatitis?This is an inflammation of the prostate tissue, which can develop due to infection or congestion.The impetus for the appearance of prostatitis and the provoking factor may be certain diseases or lifestyle features.Age-related changes after 40 years without adequate preventive measures quite quickly lead to stagnation in the pelvic organs and the development of inflammation of the prostate.It has been noticed that most often the disease prostatitis is diagnosed in men belonging to certain groups.

Risk groups are older men who lead a sedentary lifestyle and abuse alcohol.There is also an increased risk of developing prostatitis in those who have suffered urological infections, have intestinal problems, in particular, suffer from constipation.If a man belongs to one of these groups, then he should undergo diagnostic examinations more often, since prostatitis is diagnosed twice as often in members of the risk group.

Symptoms of prostatitis

Although the manifestations of prostatitis may be similar to other diseases of the genitourinary system, there are still signals from the body that should alert a man and become a reason for him to go to the doctor.It is best to do this as soon as the slightest disruption in men’s health occurs, then treatment will be easier and more effective.To understand how to treat prostatitis in men, you need to have an idea of the manifestations of the disease.

Main signs of prostatitis

• Urinary disorders
• Problems in the sexual sphere,
• Pain in the pelvic area.

Why do these symptoms appear?This is due to changes occurring in the tissues of the prostate gland.Due to inflammation, it increases and begins to put pressure on the urethra, narrowing its lumen.Such processes lead to problems with urination and worsening urine flow.As inflammation develops, sexual disorders also increase, which also gradually worsen.

When should you sound the alarm?The sooner the better, that is, at the very first signs of prostatitis:

• difficulty urinating,
• there is pain in the pelvic area.

Then there are other signs:

• discomfort during bowel movements,
• the appearance of blood streaks in the urine,
• discharge from the urethra,
• deterioration of erection,
• weakening of orgasm.

Forms of prostatitis and their features

Prostatitis can be infectious and stagnant, as well as acute and chronic.The infectious form can be acute and chronic, and the congestive form, as a rule, is only chronic.Acute symptoms are always pronounced, they cause concern in men and often become a reason to consult a doctor.As for a chronic disease, it develops gradually, the symptoms of prostatitis increase slowly.For this reason, men in most cases come to a urologist when the disease is already at an advanced stage, and perhaps some unpleasant complications have appeared.

Infectious prostatitis is most often caused by bacteria, but viruses and fungi can also lead to inflammation of the prostate.Where does the infection come from?In most cases, from the patient's own urinary tract.Cystitis or urethritis often leads to the spread of infection to the prostate gland.Almost any source of infection in the body with deteriorating immunity and the presence of provoking factors can cause inflammation of the prostate.

Symptoms of acute prostatitis

• Difficulty and pain when urinating,
• Frequent urge to urinate,
• Groin pain
• Weakening of erection
• Temperature rise,
• General weakness
• Discharge from the urethra.

The general condition of the body noticeably suffers, so acute infectious prostatitis is difficult to miss.If the cause is a bacterial infection, then there is a viscous yellowish discharge from the urethra.They appear both during urination and during the act of defecation, that is, during straining.

The disease begins acutely with obvious symptoms and goes through the following stages:

1. catarrhal,
2. follicular,
3. parenchymal,
4. abscessing.

The catarrhal stage is an inflammation in which individual lobules of the prostate are affected and the first urination disorders are observed.Due to inflammation of the tissues, their swelling develops, which leads to stagnation of secretions in the follicles of the gland and the progression of inflammation.

After this, the disease prostatitis passes into the next, follicular, stage and is accompanied by focal suppuration of the prostate lobules.The main symptoms are pain in the perineum, groin, significant urination problems, body temperature up to 38°C.

If the disease is not stopped at this stage, then the process spreads to a large number of prostate lobules and to its parenchymal tissue.This is the parenchymal stage.It is accompanied by fever, fever, the temperature rises to 39°C.The patient suffers from severe pain in the groin and perineum, urination is frequent and painful.At this stage, a dangerous complication such as acute urinary retention may develop, which requires emergency care.

With further development of the disease, prostatitis can become dangerous.When small abscesses merge, an abscess forms in the prostate gland.It can open, then pus will flow into the bladder, urethra, and rectum.This is accompanied by severe pain, dysfunction of the pelvic organs, suppuration of their tissues, and the threat of sepsis.

Features of chronic prostatitis

If acute prostatitis has not received timely normal treatment, then there is a high risk of it becoming chronic.Then the disease proceeds sluggishly, without reminding itself for some time, but periods of exacerbation will periodically occur.It is possible that the symptoms of prostatitis will appear constantly, but not with such force as in the acute form of the disease.

The second and most common cause of chronic prostatitis is congestion in the prostate gland and pelvic organs.Both venous stagnation, which disrupts the outflow of blood and nutrition of organ tissue, and stagnation of prostate secretion, which reduces its functionality, are dangerous.

Symptoms of the chronic form

• Aching pain that can be felt in the abdomen, epididymis, perineum, rectum,
• Painful erection
• Frequent trips to the toilet
• Painful urination,
• Decreased sexual desire
• Difficulty ejaculating
• With bacterial causes of the disease, discharge from the urethra is present.

The disease prostatitis is called insidious.Seeing a urologist at an advanced stage is not always evidence of a man’s inattention to his health.Inflammation of the prostate can proceed for years without clinical manifestations or noticeable symptoms, and at some point, when exposed to a provoking factor, all manifestations develop very rapidly.

Prostatitis pain

The prostate gland itself does not hurt, but nerve endings come from it that react to the inflammatory process.The location of the prostate and nerve pathways is such that pain impulses diverge throughout the pelvic organs, so pain can be felt in different places.

Localization of pain in prostatitis

• Lower abdomen
• Sacrum,
• Scrotum,
• Crotch.

The nature of the painful sensations depends on the intensity, prevalence of the process, as well as on the characteristics of the man’s body.In some cases, even a slight inflammation can cause quite severe pain in the patient, in others the man hardly feels it even with an intense inflammatory process.In any case, if measures are not taken to treat the inflammation, it will progress and the pain will gradually increase.The pain syndrome may be so intense that a man cannot live in his usual rhythm.In such cases, urgent measures are required.Various factors can contribute to increased pain:

• physical activity,
• excessive sexual activity,
• abstinence.

The nature of pain with prostatitis is similar to pain with urethritis, cystitis or osteochondrosis, so to make a diagnosis you must undergo an examination.Hormones play a significant role in the body's response.A high level of testosterone acts as a kind of pain relief, so men in active age may not feel the manifestations of diseases.

Problems with urination

Impaired urination always accompanies prostatitis.This symptom is present in both acute and chronic forms, both in infectious and congestive inflammation of the prostate gland.

How do urinary disorders manifest in prostatitis?

• The urine stream becomes weaker
• To begin the act of urination, you have to strain,
• There is a frequent urge to urinate, which may be painful,
• Possible pain and stinging during urination,
• After visiting the toilet, nagging pain in the perineum is possible,
• Stagnation of urine with severe narrowing of the lumen of the urethra.

Causes of problems with urination due to inflammation of the prostate gland

• The relative position of the prostate and urethra,
• Changes in tissues
• Disruption of nerve conduction in the pelvic area,
• Deterioration of bladder function.

One of the reasons for urinary problems lies in the anatomical structure of the male genitourinary system.The prostate covers the urethra, so even a slight inflammatory process leads to a narrowing of the urethra, because the prostate gland swells and increases in volume.Manifestations of such disorders can be of varying intensity, from a barely noticeable weakening of the urine stream to painful, requiring straining to urinate.

If the disease lasts a long time, scar-sclerotic tissue changes occur.They disrupt the normal flow of urine, which leads to disorders.

Scar-sclerotic processes can provoke not only the formation of mechanical obstacles to the outflow of urine or deterioration of urinary tract peristalsis, but also disruption of innervation.Nerve impulses transmitted from the bladder cannot fully pass through damaged tissue.This is why “confusion” occurs: either there is a false urge to urinate, or, on the contrary, the man does not feel that his bladder is full.It is possible to stop the act of urination even before the bladder has emptied.

All of the above changes lead to stagnation of urine, a deterioration in its outflow, a change in the sensitivity of this organ and a weakening or, conversely, strengthening of its muscle tone.A fairly common disorder with prostatitis is the so-called overactive bladder.What happens in such an organ?High pressure is created inside it, even when it is only slightly filled.Because of this, an impulse enters the brain, which is converted into the urge to urinate.With an overactive bladder, these urges can be so strong that they can lead to urinary incontinence.Of course, such situations do not occur too often; they are caused by the gradual development of the disease and the lack of proper treatment.As a rule, incontinence appears with old, advanced forms of chronic prostatitis.

Sexual disorders

Problems that arise in men in the sexual sphere are perceived by them more acutely than other manifestations of prostatitis.In the acute form of the disease, they pass quite quickly as soon as the patient recovers.With chronic inflammation of the prostate, sexual dysfunctions often become persistent and can be difficult to cope with.

Manifestations of sexual disorders

• Light discharge from the urethra,
• Blood in semen
• Decreased libido
• Decreased sperm quality, which can lead to infertility,
• Painful erection or ejaculation
• Decreased intensity of orgasm or its absence,
• Premature ejaculation
• Potency disorder up to the complete absence of erection.

Why is this happening?How are prostatitis and male sexual functions related?The main causes of problems in the sexual sphere with prostatitis are disturbances in nerve conduction and hormonal balance that arise due to inflammation and damage to organ tissue.

Nerve conduction disorder

Prostate receptors that send appropriate impulses are responsible for erection and ejaculation.Advanced male prostatitis leads to damage to the tissue of the gland, scars form on its surface, which prevent the receptors from conducting impulses as well as before.Because of this, erection may decrease, problems with ejaculation may arise, and the man no longer feels the pleasure of sexual intercourse so clearly.If there is significant swelling of the prostate due to overflow of blood into the pelvic organs during sexual intercourse, there may be too much pressure on the nerve plexuses.This leads to pain during erection or ejaculation.

Hormonal imbalance

The prostate gland in men is an organ that regulates hormonal balance and is responsible for the production of testosterone.In addition, it converts this hormone into a more active form - dihydrotestosterone.As you know, a normal concentration of testosterone ensures the level of libido and the possibility of sexual intercourse, that is, an erection.If inflammation of the prostate gland occurs, its functions are also disrupted, and the production of male sex hormones is correspondingly reduced, which is manifested by a decrease in a man’s sexual capabilities.

The severity of the disorder largely depends not on the degree of tissue damage, but on the sexual constitution of the man, and the possibility of recovery depends on his attitude and cooperation with the attending physician.

How to make a diagnosis

How to properly treat prostatitis, as well as the results of treatment, depend on an accurate diagnosis.It is impossible to make a diagnosis of prostatitis without instrumental studies.The fact is that its symptoms and manifestations are similar to those of other diseases of the prostate gland and urinary tract.In some cases, it is necessary to carry out differential diagnosis even with diseases of the spine.

Diagnostic measures

• Taking anamnesis at a consultation with a urologist,
• Rectal digital examination,
• Laboratory tests,
• Transrectal ultrasound of the prostate,
• Urodynamic studies,
• PSA determination,
• Urethroscopy,
• Cystoscopy,
• Prostate biopsy.

The list of studies is quite large, but it is not always necessary to carry out a complete set.

How is the patient examined?

Typically, men who come to a urologist are most interested in how to quickly cure prostatitis.It depends on its reasons and the wishes of the patient himself.At the first appointment with a specialist, a detailed medical history is collected, and then it is necessary to conduct a digital rectal examination.It will make it possible to determine pain in the prostate area, its size, and swelling.Next, TRUS (transrectal ultrasound) and laboratory tests are prescribed.Only after a set of procedures can a specialist understand how to cure prostatitis in a particular case.

What does TRUS give?

• Reveals the exact dimensions of the prostate gland and its individual sections,
• Makes it possible to examine and evaluate in detail the condition of soft tissues and seminal vesicles.

What tests need to be taken

• General urine and blood tests,
• Bacteriological culture of urine,
• Urethral smear
• Prostate secretion.

Other types of studies are prescribed if necessary.Determination of urodynamics is required in case of pronounced urination disorders in order to assess the functions of the bladder.If prostate adenoma or tumor development is suspected, a blood test is performed for the tumor marker PSA (prostate specific antigen) and a biopsy of gland tissue for histological examination.

Treatment of prostatitis

Modern medicine offers many opportunities to cope with prostatitis.The most effective treatment of prostatitis in men is based on an integrated approach, which includes several methods.Specific methods of treating prostatitis depend on the stage, timing of the disease, the degree of its prevalence and severity of symptoms, as well as on the individual characteristics of the body in each specific case.As a rule, all treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis by a urologist.In rare cases, if there are dangerous complications, the patient is hospitalized.

Treatment methods

• Medication,
• Massage,
• Therapeutic gymnastics,
• Surgery,
• Minimally invasive methods of destruction of inflamed tissues and dilatation of the urethra.

Drug treatment

The first question that arises after the examination is how to treat prostatitis in men.First of all, they turn to drug therapy.It is prescribed according to the causes of prostatitis and existing symptoms.

Drugs for the treatment of prostatitis:

• Antibacterial agents (for bacterial prostatitis),
• Antiviral drugs (for viral form),
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
• Alpha blockers,
• Painkillers,
• Decongestants,
• Antipyretic.

Many drugs for the treatment of prostate inflammation are prescribed in the form of suppositories.This form allows you to get a faster effect.Under no circumstances should you prescribe medications yourself, because each drug has contraindications and side effects that only a specialist can fully take into account.

Massage

This method of treating prostatitis is used as an additional method when using drug therapy.It provides faster treatment of prostatitis and much better results.Internal and external massage methods are used.

The main and most effective way to massage the prostate is digital rectal stimulation.The specialist performing the massage inserts a finger into the patient's rectum, feels the prostate gland and performs massage movements.

Benefits of massage:

• Improved blood supply,
• Stimulation of the gland,
• Removing stagnant secretions.

Thanks to prostate massage, the effect of medications is enhanced, and recovery occurs much faster.

External massage does not involve penetration into the body; massaging movements are performed through the skin of the perineum.This procedure is a good prevention of prostatitis in men, but its effectiveness is not enough to treat the disease.

Therapeutic gymnastics

How can prostatitis be treated with therapeutic exercises?When performing exercises, there is an influx of arterial blood to the prostate gland and an improvement in the outflow of venous blood, that is, stagnation in the organ is eliminated.Of course, this happens gradually with regular exercise.The complex, aimed at maintaining men's health, is a set of simple exercises performed in lying, sitting or standing positions.One of the simplest and most effective exercises is periodic tension and relaxation of the muscles in the anus.It can be performed at any time, almost anywhere, even at work, because it is completely invisible to others.This exercise is an excellent prevention of prostatitis in men; it allows you to maintain good muscle tone of the perineum and active blood circulation.

Minimally invasive methods for correcting prostate problems

Modern medicine offers minimally invasive methods for treating prostatitis in men, which have been developed quite recently.They are used in cases where a set of conservative therapy measures does not solve the problem.Such methods are indicated in cases where it is necessary to ensure the outflow of urine and reduce inflammation.

Suggested techniques:

• Transurethal microwave therapy helps reduce the size of the prostate by applying high temperature.
• Ultrasound treatment of the prostate gland helps relieve inflammation.
• Laser methods make it possible to coagulate tissues, which leads to their renewal and strengthening of local immunity.
• Cryodestruction is a method of removing areas of inflamed tissue using low temperatures.
• Balloon urethral dilatation is a mechanical dilatation of the urethra using a special inflating balloon, which is inserted by catheterization.
• Urethral stenting can be used either alone or in conjunction with balloon dilatation.The urethra is dilated using a stent.

Surgical treatment

The radical method of treating prostatitis is surgery.Today it is used quite rarely, only in difficult cases when other methods do not bring results.The essence of the operation is resection of the prostate gland, which leads to a reduction in pressure on the urethra, improved urodynamics and relief from symptoms of inflammation.

The operation can be performed openly or transurethically, that is, through the urethra.

Men suffering from this disease are interested in whether it is possible to cure prostatitis and forget about it forever.As long as there are no extensive gross scar changes in the gland tissue, a complete cure is possible.The most important thing for achieving success in the treatment of prostatitis is a timely visit to a urologist.As soon as problems with urination appear, you need to go to a medical facility, undergo an examination and, if necessary, receive treatment prescribed by a doctor.To avoid the question of how to recover from prostatitis, it is worth engaging in its prevention: lead an active lifestyle, eat right, do not abuse alcohol and be attentive to everything that concerns the preservation of men's health.