The first signs of prostatitis in men can appear at a young age, and if good medical care is not provided, the disease can develop into a latent (latent) form and manifest with severeminor symptoms: discomfort during urination and intercourse, pain in the perineum and lower back. If you do not pay attention to these symptoms, chronic prostatitis progresses, the treatment of which is more difficult and longer.
An experienced urologist will tell you what chronic prostatitis means and how dangerous it can be. Even a single inflammation without effective treatment can lead to the transition of the disease to a severe recurrent form.
Causes of chronic prostatitis
Chronic prostatitis is the result of poor treatment of an acute inflammatory process. Men often neglect their health or are simply hesitant to contact specialists. As a result, the disease progresses.
A urologist treats the prostate professionally. He will tell you what chronic prostatitis in men is, why it appears and how unpredictable it is. The specialist will accurately establish the etiological factors. This directly affects the effectiveness of the applied treatment methods. Many do not know where chronic prostatitis comes from, that it is caused by certain infectious pathogens (E. coli, streptococci, staphylococci, fungi) and certain factors are only a triggering mechanism.
Predisposing factors
The agents responsible for prostatitis are microbial agents: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli. But the causes of chronic prostatitis can be associated with the following predisposing factors:
- decreased immunity;
- hypothermia;
- injuries of the genitourinary organs;
- stress;
- drink alcohol and foods that are too spicy;
- congestion in the pelvic region;
- constipation;
- smoking, chronic intoxication of the body with destructive substances;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- presence of foci of chronic infection;
- venereal diseases.
Prolonged exposure to one or more predisposing factors leads to the progression of chronic prostatitis in humans. The disease occurs at any age, often young men with a history of sexually transmitted diseases, other infectious processes of the prostate and organs of the urinary system.
Men tend to procrastinate when referring to specialists. Often, the woman is the initiator of the consultation with the urologist. If the husband has chronic prostatitis, treatment should be started immediately. Otherwise, you can begin the course of the disease, which will turn into a severe chronic form and begin to give complications.
Signs of illness
Signs of chronic prostatitis in men in remission are almost completely absent. Minor pain syndrome is permanent, but the discomfort is moderate. After hypothermia, prolonged abstinence, chronic prostatitis may worsen, the symptoms of which increase depending on the condition of the man.
Whenever an exacerbation occurs, the characteristic symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men appear:
- heaviness and pain in the perineum;
- signs of bodily poisoning;
- urination disorder;
- irradiation of pain to penis or anus;
- the prostate is asymmetrical and painful on palpation;
- chills, weakness, fever.
Characteristically, the pain intensifies at the start and end of urination. Usually unpleasant sensations are given to the rectum, sacrum and penis. The pain syndrome also appears after intimate contact, it is especially acute during the excretion of sperm. Urination during remission can be painless, but it is usually more frequent. At the same time, there is a difficulty in starting the microphone.
The urine stream becomes intermittent, there is a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder. In the morning, there is a burning sensation in the urethra. Filamentous formations are often found in the urine in the morning. This means that the inflammatory process is chronic.
Impact on sexual performance
Problems with male potency often arise against the background of a prolonged course of the inflammatory process, which disrupts the functionality of the prostate, reduces libido and can even cause infertility. With such complications, chronic prostatitis occurs - the causes of erectile dysfunction are often associated with a slow infectious and inflammatory process. As long as the causative agents of the disease are not removed, the effect of predisposing factors is not removed, potency will not be restored.
Diagnosis of chronic prostatitis
Comprehensive diagnostics will help determine the features of the course and causes of chronic prostatitis in men. First of all, experts prescribe a rectal examination of the prostate. During the procedure, the specialist determines the clarity of the contours and boundaries of the organ, the degree of pain. In the future, an ultrasound is performed to identify specific functional and structural changes.
TRUZI
Prostate Ultrasound (TRUS) is a safe and informative method to visualize the major structures of the prostate and adjacent urogenital organs. The studies are carried out both through the abdominal wall and transrectal - through the rectum. In case of difficulty urinating, the specialist further examines the bladder and determines the residual urine.
Ultrasound diagnostics allows you to choose the most effective treatment for chronic prostatitis in men, as well as to assess the effectiveness of already used methods. The absence of radiation exposure to the body allows ultrasound to be used as often as a specific clinical situation requires.
Examination of prostatic secretions and ureteroscopy
Prostate secretion is collected after urination and massage of the glands. The study of biomaterials makes it possible to identify the pathogenic microflora, to determine the level of leukocytes and the number of lecithin grains. The method allows to classify the nature of the pathological process, to understand how a man should be treated and what drugs to use. The diagnosis is not accompanied by painful sensations, it is easily perceived by a man.
In case of impaired urinary function, presence of blood in the urine and erectile dysfunction, it is recommended to undergo ureteroscopy. This procedure allows you to assess the urethra and perform specific treatments using endoscopic equipment.
Additional search methods
Additional diagnostic methods are used to clarify the clinical picture, to determine the exact causes of the inflammatory process. Chronic prostatitis should be differentiated from neurogenic bladder and other similar diseases that have similar symptoms. Specialists prescribe electromyography, urodynamic diagnostic methods. They allow a qualitative differentiation of chronic inflammation from other diseases.
Chronic prostatitis often leads to hyperplastic processes, proliferation of glandular tissues, growth of adenoma, and malignant neoplasms. To exclude a cancerous process, it is necessary to make a diagnosis of PSA. The method involves the determination of the level of prostate specific antigen, with an increase in which the growth of malignant cells can be suspected. To clarify the nature of the identified formations, it is necessary to conduct a biopsy of the prostate, followed by a morphological study of the given material.
Possible complications
Chronic prostatitis dramatically reduces a man's quality of life. The prolonged course of the inflammatory process, in one way or another, disrupts reproductive function, weakens libido and threatens various infectious complications. The most unpleasant consequences of the disease are impotence and reproductive disorders. Constant inflammation changes the tissues of the prostate, contributes to their proliferation, hormonal abnormalities, the early onset of menopause and the growth of adenoma.
The chronic course of the disease can lead to urinary incontinence, stones and cysts in the prostate. As the disease progresses, sclerosis of the prostate develops. This pathological condition is the last stage of inflammation of the prostate. The body accumulates collagen with the formation of dense tissue. The urethra narrows, there are problems with potency. Such changes are characteristic of benign prostatic hyperplasia, which at any time can lead to the growth of malignant cells and the formation of cancerous tumors.
Treatment characteristics
Chronic inflammation of the prostate is not easy to cure. But cure is possible or the pathology to a prolonged stage of remission is possible. The effectiveness of medical procedures depends on whether to seek medical help.
A man should strictly follow the recommendations of the attending physician, avoid the action of predisposing factors: hypothermia, scrotal trauma, sexually transmitted diseases, stress. It is important to remember that even a banal viral infection can exacerbate the disease with the onset of severe pain and disturbance of the urinary system.
Drug treatment
Bacterial prostatitis is treated with antibiotics. They are prescribed for several weeks. To increase the comfort of life of the patient, to combat the main acute symptoms, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Adrenergic blockers are effective in restoring urodynamics, the smooth flow of prostatic secretions, and relieving muscle tension in the gland. Paraprostatic blockade associated with acupuncture effectively resolves even severe pain syndrome.
If a man feels anxious against the background of a chronic inflammatory process, sedatives or tranquilizers can be used. But these drugs should be prescribed by qualified specialists who are familiar with the specific clinical case.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy uses medicinal electrophoresis, ultrasound treatment and magnetotherapy. Acupuncture is also used in conjunction with analgesic blockages. In addition, it is recommended to use therapeutic sitz baths, enemas and special instillations into the urethra. Drip administration of drugs is good for chronic inflammatory processes.
The technique ensures that a large amount of the agent directly enters the pathological focus. A high concentration of the drug remains for a long time. This allows you to effectively cope with a slow infectious process. The drug should be kept for 30-40 minutes, limiting urination.
Surgical treatment
In case of ineffectiveness or inability to use conservative techniques and physiotherapy, it is necessary to carry out surgical treatment. It is mainly necessary to remove urethral strictures. In case of sclerosis of the prostate, a transurethral resection is performed using endoscopic techniques. The method is used if the patient has severe concomitant diseases of internal organs that do not allow a classical prostatectomy.
In case of recurrent phimosis against the background of a chronic infectious process, therapeutic circumcision of the foreskin is recommended. The operation is carried out according to the indications and only under the conditions of the urological department.
Prognosis of the disease
The prognosis of the disease is determined by the expediency and effectiveness of the prescribed treatment, the duration of treatment of the inflammatory process, the age of the man and the presence of certain concomitant disorders. If the medical prescriptions are observed, preventive measures are taken, including the normalization of intimate activity and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, it is possible to reduce the number of relapses per year and transfer the disease to a state ofprolonged remission.