Prostatitis – an inflammation of the prostate – can manifest itself in acute and chronic forms.
Acute inflammation is difficult to ignore: its signs are clearly pronounced, which cannot be said about the chronic manifestation of the disease.Itasymptomatic, but it does its job “excellently” by damaging the tissue of the organ and limiting its functions.
About chronic prostatitis: types and features
Inflammation of the prostate is considered chronic,if the indolent symptoms last longer than 3 months.
According to statistics, only 5% of cases are acute, the remaining 95% are chronic prostatitis.Men of childbearing age are affected, and even young men aged 18 to 20 are susceptible to this disease.
There can be two reasons for the development of chronic prostatitis: infections and blood congestion in the pelvis.
infectionreaches the prostate in several ways:
- with blood flow from sources of infection in the body - carious teeth, pneumonia, inflamed maxillary sinuses, pustular formations,
- with lymph flow from neighboring organs, for example from the intestine in hemorrhoids, dysbiosis,
- sexually
- descending or ascending from the infected urinary tract – bladder or urethra.
Prostate inflammation caused by a sexually transmitted pathogen such as gonococci, chlamydia and Treponema pallidum requires special attention.The symptoms of such prostatitis and genital infection are similar to each other and can “hide” behind the signs of these diseases.This type of prostatitis is easy to trigger.
Reduced immunity and hormonal imbalancesparticularly stimulate the development and spread of infections.
Non-infectious or congestive prostatitisoccurs as a result of a violation of the outflow of blood and lymph from the pelvis, as well as stagnation of prostate juice in the glandular ducts.
Such phenomena provokethe following factors:
- Disturbances in sexual life – prolonged abstinence, interrupted actions, unfulfilled desires,
- Smoking – nicotine constricts blood vessels and disrupts normal blood circulation,
- sedentary lifestyle,
- tight clothing,
- Alcohol abuse.Alcoholic drinks irritate the walls of the gland ducts and lead to inflammation.
- constipation
Congestive prostatitis occurs eight times more frequently than infectious prostatitis and very rarely develops as a complication of acute prostatitis.
Abbacterial prostatitis
This type of disease is also calledChronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS).The main symptom is pain in the pelvic area, but the absence of pathogenic microorganisms in the microbiological examination of urine and prostatic secretion.
Pain sensations take on different severity and localization.They spread to the perineum or bladder and genitals.The ejaculation process is also painful.Urine excretion and sexual problems are also present, but of secondary importance.
The diagnosis is made when pain persists for 3 months or longer.
There are two types of CPPS:
- Inflammatory CPPS– An increased number of leukocytes is found in the urine and prostatic secretion, which indicates inflammation.Microorganisms are not detected.There are several reasons for the occurrence of this type of inflammation.On the one hand, this is possible when clean urine flows back (reflux) from the urethra into the gland.This is promoted by anatomical defects or impaired muscle contractions of the bladder, prostate organ and perineum.Urine or the urates it contains cause inflammation of the prostate.On the other hand, it is believed that the cause of this process is still bacteria, which cannot be determined using the classical method.To identify them, molecular diagnostics should be used.The third reason is autoimmune processes in the body.
- Non-inflammatory CPPS– The analyzes do not contain leukocytosis and microorganisms.Instrumental diagnostics is used to make the diagnosis.This allows you to detect innervation problems or muscle changes in the prostate and other organs:
- cervical part of the bladder - stenosis or proliferation,
- Pelvic area – myalgia, muscle tension, disruption of the transmission of nerve impulses,
- urethra – narrowing, increased pressure,
- Prostate – reflux of urine, increased pressure.
OftenNerve disorders are observed in patients with CPPS: Anxiety, irritability, depressive tendencies.
Bacterial prostatitis
Chronic inflammation of the prostate of bacterial etiologybegins to make itself felt with slight discomfort when urinating.These include mild pain, itching or burning, and a reduction in jet flow.The color of the urine changes and it takes on an unpleasant smell.Unpleasant sensations can also bother you when you have a bowel movement.A weak, dull pain occurs in the perineum.
ariseProblems in sex life.At the beginning of the disease, they are situational: weakening of erection or more frequent occurrence at night, acceleration of ejaculation, disturbances in the feeling of orgasm.
A characteristic symptom of this stage– the appearance of discharge from the urethra during bowel movements.
Such indolent symptoms can last for quite a long time.A man may not pay attention to her and attributes everything to other reasons.If no treatment is given, they progress and the chronic process worsens, the intensity of the sensations increases.
Urination becomes extremely painful, the urge to go to the toilet becomes more frequent.At a certain point, these phenomena become weaker due to the compensatory growth of the bladder muscles and then reappear with greater force.
The pain in the perineum also increases.It radiates to the lower back, pubic bone, legs and scrotum.The nature of the pain also changes: it becomes stronger and sharper and disturbs you at night.
Sexual dysfunction increases and becomes permanent.Ejaculation is accompanied by pain, erection and decreased libido.
Patients are also accompanied by increased sweating, including in the perineum.The body temperature is slightly increased – 37-37.5°.
Against the background of sexual disorders in menMental disorders develop.You become irritable, nervous and can become depressed.
Treatment of the disease at this stage reduces the intensity of symptoms, and at the exacerbation stage it goes into remission.
Other types of chronic prostatitis
There is a conceptCalcific prostatitis.This disease is extremely rare and affects older men.It is characterized by the formation of stones composed of prostatic fluid, inflammatory effusions, and phosphates and calcium.
Signs of this type of disease are pain, which has a localization typical of prostatitis.They increase with exercise, after sexual intercourse.Blood appears in the ejaculate.There are other signs of inflammation of the gland.
Stones are a result of long-term prostatitis or adenoma.
Congestive prostatitisThere are bacterial and non-bacterial.Its peculiarity is mild symptoms:
- mild fever,
- unpleasant sensations in the groin,
- problems urinating,
- Irritability,
- sexual disorders.
There are those tooTypes of chronic prostatitis:
- Autoimmune– occurs in immune diseases, for example rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus,
- hormonal-dystrophic– occurs due to hormonal imbalances, in hormonal diseases (diabetes mellitus) as a result of physiological aging of the body,
- vegetative– formed against the background of vegetative-vascular dystonia.Causes problems with blood circulation.
How is the disease recognized: diagnosis
Chronic prostatitis is diagnosedthe same methods as acute.
First of allThe doctor questions and examines the patient.The examination is carried out using a digital rectal examination of the prostate.It may be enlarged, painful, asymmetrical and indurated.In rare cases (non-inflammatory CPPS) it is not changed.
Next doctorwill order tests.Laboratory methods include a general blood and urine test and analysis of prostate secretions.They show an increased number of white blood cells.A bacteriological examination of urine and prostate juice provides information about the pathogen.Sometimes these indicators can be normal, but the process is still there.
To confirm the disease, the blood is tested for PSA.Instrumental methods also help: ultrasound, TRUS, uroflowmetry.
Very often it turns out that a man does not suspect that he has such a disease and ignores the symptoms.It is discovered by chance during systematic investigations.Therefore, it is recommended not to disturb the system and not to neglect scheduled inspections.
Pharmacological treatment
Especially for the treatment of chronic prostatitisAntibiotics are prescribed.The course is long – 1-1.5 months.Before prescribing antibacterial agents, the type of pathogen and its sensitivity to the drugs are determined.
NecessaryUse immunocorrective drugs, because reduced immunity is a common cause of inflammation.Help from an immunologist is possible.
Therapy for chronic inflammation of the prostateIt doesn't work without anti-inflammatory drugs.First of all, non-steroidal drugs are prescribed.They are used in the form of tablets or injections.If you don't achieve the desired result, hormones are used.
Alpha blockershelps relieve muscle tension in the bladder and perineum.They have a symptomatic effect, relieve pain and improve urination.
If unbearable pain occurs,Painkillers are relevant.
It is worth mentioning separatelyvia the use of a dosage form such as suppositories.They are ideal for treating chronic prostate processes.Most of the time the symptoms are mild and the mild effect of suppositories is enough to relieve them.
They are inserted into the rectum.Being close to the prostate allows you to achieve results quickly and effectively.In addition, the harmful effects of tablets on the gastrointestinal tract and difficulties with injection are eliminated.Suppositories have an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect on the organ.
Physiotherapy and other methods
In addition to medications, other methods of treating chronic prostatitis are also used:
- rectal prostate massage– occurs via the rectum.The procedure eliminates stagnation of prostate juice, and also enhances the effect of medications.Contraindicated in case of exacerbation of the disease and in the presence of stones in the prostate,
- Physiotherapy improves blood circulation in the affected organ and improves its nutrition.Methods usedUHF, electrophoresis, darsonvalizationand other.They are only indicated in the remission stage,
- Prostatitis affects not only the organs, but also the psyche of a man.He might need itHelp from a psychologist or psychotherapist,
- acupunctureis a common method for treating chronic prostatitis.The procedure has an indirect effect on the organ via acupuncture points.
- ExercisesExercises such as squats, walking and jumping increase blood circulation in the pelvis and eliminate congestion.
- actively usedBalneotherapy– Treatment with mineral water.
Medications are an essential part of the treatment of chronic prostatitis.However, they can cause a number of complications.And since the treatment of this type of disease is long-term, people have found ways to partially replace such drugs.Came to the rescuetraditional medicine.
The leading folk remedies for the treatment of prostatitis arePumpkin seeds.They contain a lot of zinc, which is essential for men's health.The seeds can be consumed separately: 30 grams cover the daily requirement of the essential microelement.You can also grind them in a meat grinder and mix with honey so that the resulting mixture turns into balls.They must be kept in the refrigerator and consumed 1 piece before meals.
With inflammation of the prostate it is very useful to drinkfreshly squeezed juices from beets, carrots, cucumbers and asparagus.The amount per day should be at least 0.5 liters.
BlueberriesPerfect for prostate recovery.It contains many useful substances, microelements and vitamins.
In rare cases, in the treatment of prostatitishas to resort to surgery.The indications for this include the lack of improvement with conservative treatment, as well as acute processes: abscess and other purulent inflammation of the prostate, acute urinary retention, proliferation of glandular tissue, as well as benign and malignant formations.
Surgical treatment is carried out using several methods: This may include partial resection of an organ, opening of ulcers, removal of the foreskin, or removal of the entire gland.
How to prevent the development of chronic prostatitis
Prevention of this diseasecan be primary or secondary.
Primary preventionis to prevent the occurrence of the disease and consists of the following measures:
- maintaining immunity,
- regularity of sexual activity,
- physical exercises and moderate stress.This is especially important for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
- Avoid hypothermia,
- Stopping sources of infection in the body,
- timely treatment of genitourinary infections,
- Make sure you undergo routine medical examinations.
- Do not abuse alcohol or smoke.
Secondary preventionincludes measures to prevent relapse of the disease.In the first year after prostatitis, a man needs to visit a urologist every three months.Then – once every 6 months.If there is no exacerbation of the disease, the patient is removed from observation in the dispensary.
Excellent for preventing prostatitisSanatorium-resort treatment is suitable.Modern sanatoriums offer treatment complexes of physiotherapy and balneotherapy, as well as other natural resources.
ImportantAlso monitor your diet.Include more vegetables and fruits as well as different types of cereal in your diet.You should also enrich your diet with fermented milk products.Eating seafood compensates for zinc deficiency.
You should avoid salty, spicy and smoked foods and not overuse spices.Legumes, fatty foods and flour products should be excluded.
Chronic prostatitis is a slow but long-term process.He is insidious with complications:
- cystitis, pyelonephritis - urolithiasis,
- Vesiculitis – an inflammatory process in the seminal vesicles,
- Epididymoorchitis is an inflammatory process of the testicles,
- glandular hypotrophy,
- Infertility and impotence.
Treatment of the disease -quite a long process.But it is worth following this path to the end in order to preserve your health and the chance of having healthy offspring.