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 about 40% of cases it is diagnosed in patients aged 20-40 years.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 is the prognosis of treatment 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.
Prerequisites for the onset of chronic prostatitis may be infections, congestion of the prostate, benign hyperplasia or a combination of these factors.There are several possible ways for the infection to enter the prostate gland:
- with blood flow from foci of infection present in the body (pneumonia, tooth decay, 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 prostatitis;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 sexual life, prolonged abstinence;
- defective ejaculation, practice of interrupted sexual intercourse;
- sexual arousal often unrealized.
The risk of chronic prostatitis increases in men with reduced physical activity, with severe or mild, but regular hypothermia, with prolonged exposure to stress, as well as in those suffering from alcoholism.
Main signs of the disease
Chronic prostatitis occurs due to 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 advised to regularly visit a specialist to check for urological diseases.However, the so-called “latent” stage of chronic prostatitis can pass into the acute phase after a man has suffered from stress, an inflammatory disease, due to 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, manifested especially in the perineal area;
- itching or discomfort in the groin area;
- frequent need to urinate, pain when urinating, urinary retention;
- discharge of prostatic secretions through the external opening of the urethra after urination or defecation;
- slight increase (up to 37.5) in 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 in which the patient focuses on his own well-being.
Possible consequences of chronic prostatitis if left untreated
Unlike acute prostatitis, chronic 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 the 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 irreversible damage to male reproductive function.
One of the most serious outcomes of chronic prostatitis is the scarring of the prostate tissue with shrinkage of the organ.This process often spreads to the back of the urethra and bladder, causing persistent interruption of urine outflow.
The situation is significantly aggravated by the combination of the disease with prostatic adenoma, which is most often found in men who have passed the threshold of 50 years.By interrupting the outflow from the prostate gland, the adenoma causes the progression of chronic prostatitis, so if the patient is indicated surgical removal of a benign tumor, this must be preceded by treatment of prostatitis.
Diagnosis, methods and prospects for the treatment of the disease
The first visit to the doctor consists of gathering information on the main symptoms of the disease, followed by a general examination, digital rectal examination and sampling of the patient's prostatic secretions.Another diagnostic measure to make an accurate diagnosis is transrectal ultrasound.
Before starting a course of therapy, a patient with chronic prostatitis should undergo a urine culture test and study prostatic secretion for the sensitivity of the flora to antibacterial drugs, in order to optimize the treatment method.
Modern medicine practices the following methods, traditionally used in combination, to treat chronic prostatitis:
- Antibiotic therapy.The use of antibacterial drugs is necessary to eliminate the pathogenic bacterial flora that causes inflammation.The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the correct selection of drugs, since if not all microorganisms are destroyed during therapy, sooner or later the disease will 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 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 increases the effect of antibacterial drugs taken by the patient.The patient diagnosed with chronic prostatitis, in addition to prostate massage, may be prescribed treatment with 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 normalization of lifestyle and a visit to an immunologist.
Although not all cases of chronic prostatitis, due to its different forms of complexity, can lead to the patient's complete recovery, 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 some basic rules:
- Change your lifestyle to a more active one.If it is not possible to play sports, perform warm-up exercises or gymnastics daily.
- Avoid hypothermia.Do not sit on stone slabs, metal curbs, etc.
- If you experience constipation, use laxatives and, if constipation becomes chronic, consult 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.
- Don't engage in casual sex;otherwise, favor safe sex.
- At the first suspicion of a sexually transmitted disease, consult a specialist immediately;do not self-medicate.
- Visit your urologist at least once a year to rule out the possibility of developing a disease.
Be attentive to your men's health and the diagnosis of "chronic prostatitis" will never hinder you!