This insidious disease is one of the most common ailments of the male half of humanity. Many close their eyes to the emerging discomfort and await the inevitable development of all kinds of consequences that make normal life impossible. We will tell you about the symptoms of prostatitis in men and its treatment.
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate which, according to statistics, affects a large number of men of all ages. Already at the age of thirty, one in three people suffers from this disease, over the years the number of patients inexorably increases, and almost everyone who has changed by sixty is faced with one form or another of the disorder. And this is only official data, but in fact the incidence rate is much higher, but due to the reluctance of men to see doctors, doctors simply cannot give exact numbers.
From early childhood, boys learn that a real man should be persistent, endure pain, and ignore ailments. And there is no question of running to the doctor at the slightest discomfort. This rule is strictly followed by the majority of adult men, who talk to doctors about their problems in the most extreme cases, and sometimes even in an ambulance or in a hospital.
Alas, this also applies to prostatitis. The first alarming "bells" like the frequent need to go to the toilet, sometimes a slight pain and discomfort when urinating, certain problems with libido and potency, can be explained by anything: a day of hard work, a scandal with the boss, a too stormy party the day before.
And the main thing - there is nothing to think about, everything will pass by itself. There is a certain logic to this: the first signs of prostatitis in men are not very pronounced, cause the patient a minimum of inconvenience and quickly disappear. Only one thing is not taken into account: the painful symptoms have passed, but the disease itself has not gone away. It simply turns into a chronic form, which for a long time does not manifest itself in any way, then, under the influence of negative factors, it worsens and causes much more suffering.
Even if it seems to you that emerging health issues are worthless and will soon go away without any treatment, be aware that they can be the warning signs of serious illness. Be sure to see a doctor, get the exam and necessary exams. Remember that any illness is easier and faster to cure if you do it urgently.
Causes of the disease
Prostatitis can be caused by a wide variety of factors, often unrelated to the reproductive system. It is one of the most insidious properties of the disease.
Let's list the reasons that most often lead to inflammation of the gland:
- Pathogenic microorganisms are one of the main causes of disease. At first, a person can get sick with any infectious disease: from infectious inflammation of the urinary tract, from sexually transmitted diseases and ending with tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis or hemorrhoids, which are unexpected in thiscase. Even untreated tooth decay can cause prostate problems in the future. From parts of the body farthest from the prostate, pathogens enter with the flow of blood, lymph and other body fluids. To this must be added a weakened immune system in almost everyone, since with normal immunity it is unlikely that a cold will lead to inflammation of any of the organs of the reproductive system.
- Circulatory disorders in the small pelvis - this reason rightly ranks second on the list. Stagnation of blood, disruption of normal blood supply and, as a result, organ hypoxia occurs due to physical inactivity, constant sitting at work and at home. This leads to a significant increase in the size of the prostate. Similar changes are seen in overweight people.
- Frequent twitching and straining of the muscles of the perineum - people in certain professions are prone to this, eg drivers.
- Hormonal imbalance - occurs in many diseases and has a very negative effect on the health of the prostate.
- Hypothermia.
- Frequent constipation.
To reduce the risk of disease, it is necessary to monitor the regularity of sexual activity. Remember that prolonged abstinence and too frequent intimate contact have a negative impact.
What forms of the disease are isolated
- Bacterial prostatitis- caused by pathogenic bacteria. It can be acute (more common in young people) and chronic. Recent studies have shown that, as a rule, the infection affects the already pathologically modified tissues of the gland, with severe circulatory disorders.
- Non-bacterial or abacterial prostatitis- although laboratory tests do not show the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the diseased organ, their participation in the process cannot be completely excluded.
- Prostatodynia- all symptoms of prostatitis are present, but inflammation of the gland is not detected.
How is prostatitis manifested
In order to detect the disease in time, you need to know the symptoms of prostatitis in men. The most characteristic features are the acute form of the disease.
- General weakness and unease.
- Chills and fever.
- Increased body temperature.
- Headache.
- Severe pain in the perineum and groin area, which gets worse with urination and defecation.
- The need to go to the bathroom often, and soon after urinating, the patient feels the need again, because the bladder has not been completely emptied.
- Severe conditions requiring urgent medical attention result in acute urinary retention.
- Nervous tension, irritability.
Symptoms of chronic prostatitis
In its chronic form, the disease can be asymptomatic for many years, and its symptoms can be easily confused with manifestations of other diseases.
Let's see how this disease manifests itself:
- Drawing pains in pelvis and lower back- pain comes from the perineum, felt in the lower abdomen, urethra, testicles. In addition, the patient experiences lower back pain radiating to the leg, which can often be mistaken for sciatica or other neuralgia. The pain may be concentrated in one place, or it may seem like it hurts all together.
- Difficulty and frequent urination- pain usually occurs when the patient starts or stops urinating. At the same time, it is impossible to bear and hold urine: despite the fact that the man recently went to the toilet, the sensations are as if the bladder is full. When you urinate in a weak stream, very little urine is released.
- Decreased sexual activity- a long-lasting inflammatory process, circulatory disturbances, pathological changes in prostate tissue can not be wasted and ultimately lead to a noticeable decrease in libido andof power. This is because nerves pass through the gland, which transmits impulses to the centers in the brain responsible for erection. One of the consequences of the disease is damage to these nerves, a decrease in their sensitivity and the development of disorders in the intimate sphere. At first, the erection does not lose its strength, but at the same time there is premature ejaculation, then the erection itself becomes much weaker, and the orgasm becomes sluggish. The synthesis of testosterone is gradually inhibited, and sexual desire is catastrophically reduced. In some cases, during ejaculation, a man feels a sharp pain in the head of the penis.
- Scarring of prostate tissue and reduction in organ size.In advanced cases, this process spreads to the urinary tract and bladder, causing severe urination disorders. All this leads to the development of renal dysfunction, the development of urolithiasis and other serious conditions.
Treatment of various forms of the disease
We have seen the most common symptoms of prostate inflammation in men, now let's take a look at ways to treat this disease.
Despite the fact that there are many studies devoted to the treatment of prostatitis, the general pattern of treatment is not yet known. Treatment may differ in each specific case, however, there is no doubt that the correct determination of the cause of the disease and the initiation of treatment in the early stages of the development of the pathology are of great importance.
In acute prostatitis of bacterial genesis, the patient is hospitalized without fail, antibiotic therapy is carried out, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, drugs that normalize blood circulation are prescribed.
The chronic form of the disease is very difficult to treat and is usually not completely cured. With successful treatment, a long period of remission is achieved, during which signs of prostatitis in men and its symptoms do not appear.
The set of therapeutic procedures is selected individually for each patient. The patient is prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, drugs that improve blood circulation in the prostate, immunomodulatory drugs, vitamins. In addition, a man should take a course of physiotherapy, prostate massage, and regularly perform physical exercises aimed at maintaining prostate health.