Pain during urination, burning sensation in the urethra, erection problems and frequent trips to the toilet are 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, the pathology is classified according to the course, pathogenesis and other aspects. Let's look at what causes the disease, what symptoms it manifests and how it is treated.
What is prostatitis?
To understand what prostatitis is in men, you need to know what a glandular organ is. The prostate is a male internal organ. It looks like a "heart" or a "chestnut". Ancient physicians called this organ the "second male heart. "
The functionality of the gland organ is as follows:
- Production of a secret, which is a liquid with a specific odor;
- Protection of the prostate gland from infections;
- Maintaining full erectile function;
- Synthesis of the hormone testosterone;
- Ensuring the normal process of urination.
The production of secretions in the prostate is constantly monitored. In healthy members of the stronger sex, it enters the urethra in the process of secretion of sperm. Prostate secretion increases the volume of sperm, contributes to maintaining the vital activity of sperm.
For your information, prostatitis is a common disease diagnosed in 80% of men, of whom 30% are diagnosed at the age of 20-40. According to static studies, the pathology is observed in every tenth man.
If the ultrasound examination reveals swelling of the prostate gland, foci of inflammation in it, it is prostatitis. In most clinical pictures, the inflammatory process proceeds together with the formation of stones. The male organ is surrounded by the urethral canal and seminal ducts, and the swelling leads to compression of the ureter. As a result, the dominant symptom of the disease is revealed - problems during urination - pain, cramps, burning.
When an inflammatory process occurs, the qualitative and quantitative composition of prostate juice changes, as a result sexual desire decreases, erection deteriorates, potency decreases.
Causes and symptoms of prostatitis
Speaking of prostatitis, it is impossible to pinpoint 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.
- Disorders 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 provokes poor circulation.
- Frequent hypothermia, the presence of chronic pathologies of the reproductive system.
- Hormonal imbalance, irregular sex life, prolonged abstinence.
- Inflammation in the rectum can provoke the development of prostatitis.
- Constipation of a chronic nature.
- Decreased immune status. The main 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 onset of the pathological process. Only by establishing the provoking factor can we talk about a favorable prognosis.
Prostatitis is acute and chronic. In the first case, the man's body temperature rises significantly, there are frequent trips to the toilet, accompanied by a strong pain syndrome and low pressure of urine flow. Such a clinic is often accompanied by a burning sensation in the perineum, painful sensations in the rectum during bowel movements.
Worth knowing:with purulent inflammation of the prostate gland and opening of the abscess, there is a discharge of purulent masses from the urethral canal or rectum.
In the chronic course of the pathology, the symptoms are not very pronounced. Patients were diagnosed with the following clinic:
- Low-grade fever that does not subside for a long time;
- Pain in the pubic area;
- Problems with defecation;
- Constant fatigue, unreasonable nervousness and irritability.
Difficulty urinating is especially dangerous against the background of inflammation in the glandular organ. In the absence of adequate treatment, this can lead to serious consequences - acute urinary retention.
Types of prostatitis
So to learn all about prostatitis in men, you need to look at 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 provoked by infections. In most cases, microbes, a little less often the simplest microorganisms or fungi.
In the absence of therapy for an acute form of the pathology, it transforms into a chronic course, can give a complication in the form of benign hyperplasia of the glandular organ. The symptoms are not acute, 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 with age-related changes.
Important:bacterial prostatitis is acute and chronic. Inflammation is provoked by bacteria - Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterococci, Klebsiella. Most often this type is diagnosed in men aged 20 to 40 years, in relation to other types of prostatitis occurs in 5-10% of clinical pictures.
Other types of inflammation in the prostate gland:
- The calculous form of prostatitis is characterized by an inflammatory process that develops as a result of the formation of prostate stones. It is most often diagnosed in patients of the elderly age group who have neglected the medical treatment of the acute form. Neglected calculous disease leads to impaired reproductive function, infertility, impotence, adenoma and other complications.
- The stagnant form of the disease most often takes a chronic form, the etiology is non-infectious. The main reason is stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs, for example in impaired blood circulation in the pelvis or stagnation of prostate secretions due to irregular sex life.
- Infectious disease develops due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria, in most photos tests detect E. coli. There is an acute and chronic course, the clinic is similar to the bacterial species.
- The purulent form is the most dangerous type of pathology. In medicine, purulent prostatitis is classified into other types. Catarrh develops against a background of weak immune status along with the progression of sore throat and flu. Follicular prostatitis is already the second stage of purulent disease; there is a discharge of pus in the prostate, which is accompanied by severe pain and fever. The parenchymal form is a severe form that requires timely treatment. With an abscess in the tissues of the glandular organ, they speak of an abscess disease; therapy should be started immediately as there is a risk of sepsis.
The treatment regimen for inflammation of the prostate gland is due to a specific type of pathology, respectively, can differ significantly. You can combine drugs with physiotherapy procedures and alternative therapies.
Diagnosis of prostatitis
To diagnose the inflammation, the doctor collects the patient's medical history and then prescribes laboratory and instrumental methods of examination. They allow, on the basis of certain indicators, to make a diagnosis without errors.
Fact:you may suspect prostatitis with a rectal examination of the prostate gland. Pain in the anterior rectal area and an increase in the size of the organ are characteristic signs of inflammation.
After rectal palpation, the following diagnostic methods are prescribed:
- Ultrasound examination reveals the size of the organ, symptoms of the inflammatory process, changes in the structure of soft tissues;
- Examination of prostate secretion allows you to identify its composition and abnormalities;
- Examination of urine and smear from the lining of the urethra will help identify infectious diseases transmitted during sexual intercourse;
- Assessment of hormonal status. Excessive amounts of hormonal substances can lead to pathological spread of the tissues of the glandular organ, and a decrease in the concentration of hormones can lead to its malfunction.
When diagnosing a medical professional is not interested in the inflammation itself, as it can be detected by palpation of the prostate gland, and the causes of the disease. Ultimately, determining the right provoking factor allows you to prescribe an effective course of therapy.
Methods of treating diseases
The treatment of prostatitis is always a complex process that involves 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, immunostimulating 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 prescription.
- Physiotherapeutic manipulations - use of magnetic field, leech therapy, ultrasound and laser treatment.
- Prostate massage. It allows you to strengthen the reproductive system, to normalize blood circulation in the prostate and pelvic organs.
Traditional methods of therapy include decoctions and infusions based on medicinal herbs. Examinations of patients note the high therapeutic efficacy of the rhizomes of red root, licorice and marshmallow.
Important:to cure prostatitis, you must strictly adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen. Self-administration of drugs, even the most effective, may not give the desired result. There is no single therapy tactic: what helps one patient harms the other.
Preventive actions
Prostatitis is one of those pathologies that are easier to prevent. Doctors have long developed preventive measures to rule out the disease. Prevention is primary and secondary. In the second case, it aims to prevent the recurrence of chronic disease.
Preventive actions:
- Physical activity;
- Regular sexual intercourse;
- Exclusion of indiscriminate sexual intercourse;
- Timely treatment of all concomitant pathologies;
- Preventive examinations by a urologist;
- Rational nutrition, abandonment of bad eating habits.
Preventing inflammation of the prostate gland does not require much time and investment, and the effectiveness of the measures is undeniable.
Prostatitis is a common disease. The degree of self-medication is very low. Lack of adequate therapy leads to a chronic course of the disease, which periodically worsens and can provoke organ hyperplasia or oncology.