Painful urination, a burning sensation in the urethra, erection problems, and frequent trips to the toilet are all symptoms of an inflammatory process in the prostate. What is prostatitis? The disease is multifactorial, the etiology is due to a combination of provoking factors that lead to inflammation. In medical practice, pathology is classified according to course, pathogenesis and other aspects. Let's consider what are the causes of the disease, what symptoms it manifests itself and how it is treated.
What is prostatitis?
<1_img_centerxx>To understand what prostatitis in men is, you need to know what the glandular organ is. The prostate is a male internal organ. In appearance, it looks like a "heart" or a "chestnut". Ancient physicians called this organ "the second male heart".
The functionality of the glandular organ is as follows:
- Production of a secret, which is a liquid with a specific smell;
- Protect the prostate from infections;
- Maintenance of full erectile function;
- Synthesis of the hormone testosterone;
- Ensure the normal process of urination.
The production of secretions in the prostate is constantly observed. In healthy representatives of the stronger sex, it enters the urethra during the process of secretion of semen. Prostate secretion increases the volume of semen, contributes to the maintenance of vital activity of sperm.
For your information, prostatitis is a common disease diagnosed in 80% of men, of which 30% are diagnosed by the age of 20-40 years. According to static studies, pathology is observed in one in ten men.
If an ultrasound reveals swelling of the prostate, foci of inflammation, then this is prostatitis. In most clinical pictures, the inflammatory process continues with the formation of stones. The male organ is surrounded by the urethral canal and seminal ducts, and the edema results in compression of the ureter. As a result, the dominant symptom of the disease is revealed - problems with urination - pain, cramps, burning.
When an inflammatory process occurs, the qualitative and quantitative composition of prostatic juice changes, as a result, sexual desire decreases, erection worsens, potency decreases.
Causes and symptoms of prostatitis
Speaking of prostatitis, it is impossible to name the exact cause of the inflammatory process. Many physicians agree that the etiology is based on a combination of certain factors.
The appearance of prostatitis is due to the following reasons:
- Infectious pathologies that are transmitted during sexual intercourse.
- Violation of blood circulation in the pelvic organs. This leads to an inactive lifestyle, too tight underwear, jeans.
- Injury to the organs of the perineum, which causes poor circulation.
- Frequent hypothermia, presence of chronic pathologies of the reproductive system.
- Hormonal imbalance, irregular sex life, prolonged abstinence.
- Inflammation of the rectum can cause the development of prostatitis.
- Constipation of a chronic nature.
- Decreased immune status. Primary sources include chronic stress, unhealthy eating habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, unbalanced diet.
- Urological infections such as gonorrhea.
In fact, there are many reasons for the appearance of the pathological process. Only by establishing the provoking factor can one speak of a favorable prognosis.
Prostatitis is acute and chronic. In the first case, a man's body temperature rises significantly, frequent trips to the toilet are observed, accompanied by severe pain syndrome and weak pressure of the urine stream. Often such a clinic is accompanied by a burning sensation in the perineum, painful sensations in the rectum during a bowel movement.
Good to know:with purulent inflammation of the prostate and an opening of the abscess, there is a discharge of purulent masses from the urethral canal or rectum.
During the chronic course of the pathology, the symptoms are not very pronounced. Patients are diagnosed with the following clinic:
- Mild fever, which does not decrease for a long time;
- Pain in the pubic area;
- Problems with bowel movements;
- Constant fatigue, unreasonable nervousness and irritability.
Difficulty in urinating is a particular danger against the background of inflammation of the glandular organ. In the absence of adequate treatment, it can lead to serious consequences - acute urinary retention.
Types of prostatitis
So, to know everything about prostatitis in men, you need to consider the forms of the disease. First of all, there is an acute and chronic inflammatory process. The name "sharp" speaks for itself. This indicates that there is an inflammatory process caused by infections. In most cases, microbes, a little less often microorganisms or the simplest fungi.
In the absence of treatment for an acute form of pathology, it turns into a chronic course, it can lead to a complication in the form of benign hyperplasia of the glandular organ. Symptoms are not expressed acutely, which is the danger of this type of disease.
The etiology of chronic prostatitis is due to pathogenic microorganisms and other causes. For example, the phenomenon of stagnation in the pelvic organs, age-related changes.
Important:bacterial prostatitis is acute and chronic. Inflammation is caused by bacteria - Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterococci, Klebsiella. Most often this type is diagnosed in men 20-40 years old, compared with other types of prostatitis, it occurs in 5-10% of clinical pictures.
Other types of inflammation in the prostate:
- The calculous form of prostatitis is characterized by an inflammatory process that develops as a result of the formation of stones in the prostate. Most often it is diagnosed in patients of the elderly age group who neglected drug treatment of the acute form. Neglected calculus disease leads to impaired reproductive function, infertility, impotence, adenoma, and other complications.
- The stagnant form of the disease most often proceeds in a chronic form, the etiology is non-infectious. The main reason is the stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs, for example, in the event of impaired blood circulation in the pelvis or stagnation of prostatic secretions due to irregular intimate life.
- Infectious disease develops due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria, in most pictures the tests detect E. coli. There is an acute and chronic course, the clinic is similar to the bacterial species.
- A purulent form is the most dangerous type of pathology. In medicine, purulent prostatitis is classified into other types. Catarrhal develops against the background of a weak immune state as well as the progression of sore throat and flu. Follicular prostatitis is already the second stage of a purulent disease; there is a discharge of pus into the prostate, which is accompanied by severe pain syndrome and high body temperature. The parenchymal form is a severe form that requires prompt treatment. With an abscess of the tissues of the glandular organ, they speak of a disease of abscess; treatment should be started immediately, as there is a risk of sepsis.
The treatment regimen of inflammation of the prostate is due to a specific type of pathology, respectively, it can differ significantly. You can combine drugs with physiotherapy procedures and alternative therapies.
Diagnosis of prostatitis
To diagnose inflammation, the doctor collects the patient's history, and then prescribes laboratory and instrumental research methods. They make it possible, on the basis of certain indicators, to make an error-free diagnosis.
Made:you may suspect prostatitis with a digital rectal exam of the prostate. Pain in the anterior rectal area and an increase in organ size are characteristic signs of inflammation.
After rectal palpation, the following diagnostic methods are prescribed:
- Ultrasound reveals the size of the organ, symptoms of the inflammatory process, changes in the structure of soft tissues;
- The study of prostatic secretion makes it possible to identify its composition and its deviations from the norm;
- The study of urine and a smear from the mucous membrane of the urethra will help determine infectious diseases transmitted during sexual intercourse;
- Assessment of hormonal status. An overabundance of hormonal substances can lead to pathological proliferation of tissues of the glandular organ, and a decrease in the concentration of hormones can lead to its dysfunction.
In the diagnosis of a specialist doctor, it is not the inflammation itself that is of interest, since it can be detected by palpation of the prostate, but the causes of the disease. After all, determining the correct provoking factor allows you to prescribe effective treatment.
Methods of treating diseases
Treatment of prostatitis is always a complex process that includes taking various medications. It is not forbidden to use traditional methods of therapy with the permission of the attending physician.
Therapeutic activities include the following:
- Antibacterial pills, immunostimulatory drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs. The dosage, frequency and duration of use are determined individually. Medicines can be purchased at the pharmacy, many of which require a doctor's prescription.
- Physiotherapy manipulations - the use of a magnetic field, leech therapy, ultrasound and laser treatment.
- Massage the prostate. It allows you to strengthen the reproductive system, normalize blood circulation in the prostate and pelvic organs.
Traditional methods of therapy include decoctions and infusions made from medicinal herbs. Patient reviews note the high therapeutic efficacy of rhizomes of red root, licorice and marshmallow.
Important:to cure prostatitis, you must strictly adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen. Self-administration of even the most effective drugs may not give the desired result. There is no single therapeutic tactic: what helps one patient harms the second patient.
Preventive actions
Prostatitis is one of the easiest to prevent pathologies. Doctors have long developed preventative measures to rule out the disease. Prevention is primary and secondary. In the second case, it aims to prevent the recurrence of a chronic disease.
Preventive actions:
- Physical activity;
- Regular sex;
- Exclusion of promiscuous sex;
- Rapid treatment of all concomitant pathologies;
- Preventive examinations by a urologist;
- Rational nutrition, rejection of bad eating habits.
Prevention of inflammation of the prostate does not require a lot of time and financial investment, and the effectiveness of the measures is undeniable.
Prostatitis is a common disease. The rate of self-healing is very low. Lack of adequate treatment leads to a chronic course of the disease, which periodically worsens and can cause organ hyperplasia or oncology.