Pain when urinating, 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 provocative factors leading to inflammation. In medical practice, pathology is classified depending on the course, pathogenesis and other aspects. Let us consider what causes disease, what symptoms appear, and how it is treated.
What is prostatitis?
To understand what prostatitis is in men, you need to know what the glandular organ is. The prostate is an internal male organ. In appearance, it resembles a "heart" or "chestnut". Ancient physicians called this organ the "second male heart. "
The functionality of the glandular organ is as follows:
- Production of a secretion, which is a specific smelling liquid;
- Protection of the prostate gland from infections;
- Maintenance of full erectile function;
- Synthesis of the hormone testosterone;
- Ensuring 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 in the process of sperm secretion. Prostatic secretion increases sperm volume, contributes to the maintenance of vital sperm activity.
For your information, prostatitis is a common disease diagnosed in 80% of men, of which 30% are diagnosed between the ages of 20-40. According to static studies, pathology is observed in every tenth man.
If an ultrasound examination reveals swelling of the prostate gland, foci of inflammation in it, then this is prostatitis. In most clinical pictures, the inflammatory process continues along with the formation of calculi. The male organ is surrounded by the urethral canal and seminal ducts, and edema leads to compression of the urethra. As a result, the dominant symptoms of the disease are revealed - problems when urinating - pain, cramps, burning.
When an inflammatory process occurs, the qualitative and quantitative composition of prostate fluid changes, as a result, sexual desire decreases, erection worsens, power decreases.
Causes and symptoms of prostatitis
Speaking of prostatitis, it is impossible to mention the exact cause of the inflammatory process. Many doctors agree that the etiology is based on a combination of certain factors.
The onset 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 of the perineum organs, 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.
- Reduced immunity 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 starting the pathological process. Only by setting the provocative factor can we talk about 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 a weak urine flow pressure. Often, such a clinic is accompanied by a burning sensation in the perineum, painful sensation in the rectum during bowel movement.
It is worth knowing:with purulent inflammation of the prostate gland and abscess opening, there is a discharge of purulent masses from the urethral or rectal canal.
In the chronic course of pathology, the symptoms are not very pronounced. Patients are diagnosed with the following clinic:
- Low-grade fever, which does not subside for a long time;
- Pain in the pubic area;
- Problems with bowel movements;
- Constant fatigue, irritability and unreasonable irritability.
Difficulty urinating is a special risk 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 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 provoked by infections. In most cases, microbes, somewhat less often the simplest microorganisms or fungi.
In the absence of therapy for an acute form of pathology, it turns into a chronic course, can give a complication in the form of benign hyperplasia of the glandular organ. Symptoms are not expressed acutely, which is the risk 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 provoked by bacteria - Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterococci, Klebsiella. Most often, this type is diagnosed in men from 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 calculatory form of prostatitis is characterized by an inflammatory process that develops as a result of the formation of stones in the prostate. It is most often diagnosed in elderly patients who have neglected the medical treatment of the acute form. A neglected computational disease leads to impaired reproductive function, infertility, impotence, adenoma and other complications.
- The stagnant form of the disease most often develops into a chronic form, the etiology is non-infectious. The main reason is stagnation of blood in the pelvic organs, for example, in case of impaired blood circulation in the pelvis or stagnation of prostatic secretions due to an irregular intimate life.
- An infectious disease develops due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria, in most photos, tests reveal E. coli. There is an acute and chronic course, the clinic is similar to 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 status along with the progression of sore throat and flu. Follicular prostatitis is already the second stage of a purulent disease; there is a discharge of pus in the prostate, which is associated with severe pain syndrome and high body temperature. The parenchymal form is a severe form that requires timely treatment. With an abscess of glandular organ tissue, they speak of an abscess disease; therapy should be started immediately, as there is a threat of sepsis.
The treatment regimen for inflammation in the prostate gland is due to a specific type of pathology, respectively, it can change significantly. You can combine medication with physiotherapy procedures and alternative therapies.
Diagnosis of prostatitis
To diagnose inflammation, the doctor collects the patient’s medical history, then prescribes laboratory and instrumental research methods. They allow, based on certain indicators, to make an error-free diagnosis.
Fact:you may suspect prostate with a rectal examination of the prostate gland. Pain in the anterior region of the rectum and an increase in organ size are characteristic signs of inflammation.
After touching the rectum, the following diagnostic methods are described:
- Ultrasound examination reveals the size of the organ, the symptoms of the inflammatory process, changes in the structure of soft tissues;
- The study of prostate secretion allows you to identify its composition and deviations from the norm;
- Study of urine and a stain from the urethral mucosa will help determine the infectious diseases transmitted during sexual intercourse;
- Assessment of hormonal status. An abundance of hormonal substances can lead to pathological proliferation of glandular organ tissue, and a decrease in hormone concentration can lead to its dysfunction.
In the diagnosis of a medical specialist, it is not the interest of the inflammation itself, as it can be detected by palpation of the prostate gland, but the causes of the disease. Above all, determining the exact provoking factor allows you to describe an effective course of therapy.
Disease treatment methods
Treating 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 tablets, immunostimulatory drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs. Dosage, frequency and duration of use are determined individually. Medicines can be bought at the pharmacy, many of which require a doctor's prescription.
- Physiotherapy manipulations - use of a magnetic field, caterpillar therapy, ultrasound and laser treatment.
- Massage of the prostate gland. It allows you to strengthen the reproductive system, normalize blood circulation to the prostate and pelvic organs.
Traditional methods of therapy include decoctions and infusions based on medicinal plants. Patient reviews note the high therapeutic efficacy of red root, licorice and marshmallow rhizomes.
Important: to cure prostatitis, you must strictly adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen. Self-administration of drugs, even the most effective ones, may not give the desired result. There is no single therapy tactic: what helps one patient harms the second patient.
Preventive actions
Prostatitis is one of those pathologies that is most easily prevented. 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 a chronic disease.
Preventive actions:
- Physical activity;
- Regular sexual intercourse;
- Exclusion of broken sexual relations;
- Timely treatment of all accompanying pathologies;
- Preventive examinations by a urologist;
- Rational eating, rejection of bad eating habits.
Preventing inflammation of the prostate gland does not require much time and investment of funds, and the effectiveness of the measures is undeniable.
Prostatitis is a common disease. The self-healing rate is very low. Lack of adequate therapy leads to a chronic course of the disease, which worsens periodically and can provoke organ hyperplasia or oncology.