One of the most common diseases in the male genitourinary system is chronic prostatitis.As medical practice shows, every twelfth sexually mature man 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 activities.What is the nature of this disease, how to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis - and how good 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, urinary disorders and pathology of male sexual function.
Prerequisites for the occurrence of chronic prostatitis can be infection, congestion in the prostate, benign hyperplasia, or a combination of these factors.There are several possible routes for infection to enter the prostate gland:
- with blood flow from the focus of infection found in the body (pneumonia, caries, pustular skin lesions, sinusitis, etc.);
- with the influx of lymph from other organs (with dysbacteriosis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, 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;Its occurrence is based on congestive processes and blood circulation disorders in the prostate and adjacent organs.
Among the main causes of stagnation of secretions in the prostate gland, urologists identify the following:
- irregular sex life, prolonged abstinence;
- defective ejaculation, disturbed sexual intercourse practices;
- sexual stimulation that is often not realized.
The risk of chronic prostatitis increases in men with reduced physical activity, with severe or small, but constant, hypothermia, prolonged exposure to stress, as well as in those with alcohol addiction.
The main symptoms of the disease
Chronic prostatitis occurs as a result of lack of timely treatment, or ineffective treatment of acute prostatitis, and is a slow-acting inflammatory process in the prostate gland.
In most cases, without symptoms, this disease is usually detected in patients only during a medical examination, which is why every man is recommended to regularly visit a specialist to check for the presence of urological diseases.However, the so-called "latent" stage of chronic prostatitis can change to an acute phase after a man experiences stress, inflammatory diseases, as a result of 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, especially shown in the perineal area;
- itching or discomfort in the groin area;
- frequent urge to urinate, pain when urinating, urinary retention;
- discharge of prostate secretions through the external opening of the urethra after urination or defecation;
- slight increase (up to 37.5) body temperature;weakness, sleep and performance disturbances;
- 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 area, external genitalia
Taken together, these symptoms of chronic prostatitis can cause a nervous system disorder, characterized by a neurotic state with the patient concentrating on his well-being.
Possible consequences of chronic prostatitis if not treated
Unlike acute, chronic prostatitis is characterized by alternating waves, periodic exacerbations and relatively long remissions, during which a man can feel completely 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 possible, with the possibility of transformation into urolithiasis.But most often, the result of advanced chronic prostatitis is vesiculitis (inflammation of the seminal vesicles) or epididymo-orchitis (inflammation of the testicles).Both of these diseases can lead to uncontrollable infertility, and sometimes to irreversible damage to male reproductive function.
One of the worst consequences of chronic prostatitis is scarring of the prostate tissue with organ shrinkage.This process often spreads to the back of the urethra and bladder, which leads to constant disruption of the outflow of urine.
This situation is significantly aggravated by the combination of the disease with prostate adenoma, which is most often found in men who have passed the 50-year mark.By disrupting the outflow from the prostate gland, adenoma provokes the development of chronic prostatitis, so if the patient is indicated for benign tumor surgery, it must be preceded by treatment for prostatitis.
Diagnosis, methods and prospects for treating diseases
The initial appointment with the doctor consists of collecting information about the main symptoms of the disease, followed by a general examination, a digital rectal examination and taking prostate secretions from the patient.Another diagnostic step to make an accurate diagnosis is a transrectal ultrasound examination.
Before starting a course of therapy, patients with chronic prostatitis must undergo a urine culture test and examine prostate secretions for the sensitivity of the flora to antibacterial drugs, to optimize treatment methods.
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 selection of the correct drug, because if not all microorganisms are destroyed during therapy, the disease will sooner or later be felt again.For this reason, the patient must complete the course of antibiotics in full, without interruptions or other violations of medical recommendations.
- Physiotherapy.Prostate massage is one of the most effective treatment components in a 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 duct 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.In addition to prostate massage, patients diagnosed with chronic prostatitis may be treated with lasers, ultrasonic waves or through electromagnetic influence on the inflamed area.
- Immune correction.Long-term inflammatory processes, such as chronic prostatitis, as well as free or improperly 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 function as much as possible.This is facilitated by normalizing the lifestyle and visiting an immunologist.
Although not every case of chronic prostatitis, due to its various forms of complexity, can result in the patient's complete recovery, the patient's strict adherence to medical recommendations guarantees long-term remission of the disease, and possibly for life.
How to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis?
Prevention of chronic prostatitis consists of several basic rules:
- Change your lifestyle to a more active one.If you can't do sports, do warm-up exercises or gymnastics every day.
- Avoid hypothermia.Do not sit on stone slabs, metal edges, etc.
- For constipation, use laxatives, and if constipation becomes chronic, see a doctor.
- Try to normalize your sex life.Excessive sexual activity, as well as long-term abstinence, negatively affects the state and function of the prostate gland.
- Do not practice casual sex;otherwise, prioritize protected sex.
- At the first suspicion of an STD, immediately seek expert advice;do not self-medicate.
- Visit your urologist at least once a year to rule out the possibility of the disease developing.
Take care of your man's health, and the diagnosis of "chronic prostatitis" will not stop you!