Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland. It is one of the most common diseases in men. Mainly men over 30 years of age are affected. If left untreated, the disease progresses rapidly and leads to serious complications – infertility, impotence and cancer.
Most often, prostatitis manifests itself as painful urination, purulent and bloody discharge in the urine, and sexual dysfunction.
The prostate is the organ that produces sperm and regulates urination. It is located below the bladder. It consists of three departments. During ejaculation, the prostate begins to contract, pushing seminal fluid through the urinary canal. The gland is involved in limiting urinary incontinence, forming an erection and producing sperm.
Prostate juice contains a large amount of proteins, fats, enzymes and even some vitamins. The juice dilutes the seminal fluid, thus promoting sperm viability. The prostate is an active organ. It depends on hormonal levels and participates in the formation of sex hormones.
Causes
It is difficult to identify the exact cause that triggered the development of prostatitis in a particular person. Most likely, it will be a set of factors that, in one way or another, led to the problem.
Let's look at the causes and factors that can contribute to the development of prostatitis:
- Hypothermia and stress. The body's defenses are reduced, which contributes to the appearance of inflammatory processes.
- Hormonal imbalances. The level of sex hormones affects the activity of the prostate gland.
- Sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections.
- Various disorders of body mechanisms: urinary disorders, pelvic congestion. A hypodynamic lifestyle and tight underwear interfere with blood circulation in the pelvis. And problems urinating contribute to irritation of glandular tissue and cause prostatitis. Constipation can also be considered a predisposing factor.
- Prolonged abstinence from sexual intercourse, interrupted sexual intercourse or artificial prolongation of sexual intercourse. This leads to enlargement of the gland and its inflammation.
- Poor nutrition and alcohol abuse.
Prostate infection can occur in 4 ways:
- Descending - enters with urine flow.
- Ascending - ascends along the urethra.
- Lymphogenic - along with the flow of lymph.
- Hematogenous - along with blood flow.
Symptoms and signs of prostatitis
Prostatitis symptoms can vary. According to the nature of the course, there are acute and chronic prostatitis.
Common signs of prostatitis include the following:
- problems urinating - it is frequent, intermittent and difficult;
- deterioration of erection;
- burning sensation in the groin;
- urine is cloudy and contains fiber;
- the orgasm is not brilliant;
- increased fatigue;
- decreased potency;
- depression, anxiety.
Acute prostatitis often begins with an increase in body temperature to 39-40 degrees. The prostate swells, causing problems with urination. It is difficult and accompanied by pain.
During an exacerbation of prostatitis, the patient feels pain in the perineum, as well as in the rectum, groin and sacrum.
Acute prostatitis can be catarrhal, follicular and parenchymal. Characteristics of acute prostatitis:
- Acute follicular prostatitis is characterized by weak jet pressure during urination. It is accompanied by intense pain, which can radiate to the anal region, intensifying especially during evacuation. A slight increase in temperature is possible.
- Acute parenchymal prostatitis is characterized by unexpected throbbing pain in the perineal region. Intoxication of the body is observed, the temperature can reach 40 degrees. Often accompanied by urinary retention.
- Acute catarrhal prostatitis causes pain in the perineum, frequent urination, and painful urination.
Chronic prostatitis can develop into an acute form, but more often it immediately develops into a chronic form. Symptoms are dull, without clear signs and manifestations.
Symptoms and signs caused by chronic prostatitis:
- decreased erection and libido;
- decreased flow pressure during urination;
- cramps and pain when urinating;
- severe pain in the perineum, anus, sacrum.
Since the signs of chronic prostatitis are not clearly expressed, the patient often does not pay attention to the symptoms for a long time, which aggravates its development and can cause complications.
Prostatitis diagnosis
Medicine doesn't stand still and diagnosing prostatitis is not difficult. After collecting the anamnesis, the doctor may prescribe various diagnostic methods to confirm the diagnosis of prostatitis.
- Palpation of the prostate through the rectum to diagnose prostatitis. It will reveal pain and increase in size, these being characteristic signs of the inflammatory process, and during palpation, prostate secretion is released, which is sent for analysis.
- Ultrasound examination.
- Microscopic examination of prostate secretion.
- Bacteriological examination of urine.
- A smear of mucous membranes and glandular secretions to detect infection.
- Analysis of a swab from the urethra to determine sexually transmitted infections that can cause prostatitis.
- Blood test to determine sex hormones.
These diagnostic measures help not only to confirm the diagnosis, since in general the symptoms are quite pronounced, but also to identify the cause of the disease.
Prostatitis treatment
Currently, there are many treatment options for prostatitis. These include traditional methods and folk medicine methods. Traditional medicine can serve as a complement to basic therapy. It is dangerous to self-medicate prostatitis, as it can lead to complications.
Doctors always resort to the traditional medicinal method of treating prostatitis. This helps to relieve swelling, severe inflammation and normalize the functioning of the prostate gland.
Usually a complex of several methods is prescribed:
- rectal suppositories. Reduces pain and relieves inflammation;
- injections;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- instillation - the drug is injected directly into the prostate;
- microenemas;
- medicines in tablets. Most often antibacterial drugs;
- alpha-blockers.
The set of therapeutic measures is selected individually, depending on the degree of the disease, the manifestation of symptoms and the expected therapeutic effect for the patient.
If a bacterial cause of prostatitis is identified, broad-spectrum antibiotics will be prescribed that can destroy multiple strains of bacteria. They can be in the form of suppositories, in the form of tablets and in the form of injections.
Analgesics are used to relieve pain.
Alpha-blockers - help relax the muscles of the urethra, which is a consequence of prostatitis. To relieve tension in the perineal region, various muscle relaxants are used.
A necessary step would be to improve blood circulation to relieve congestion and take vitamins.
Various physiotherapeutic procedures and prostate massage are mandatory for the treatment of prostatitis. Prostate massage is used for all forms and stages of development of the disease, it improves blood circulation and compresses secretions with a pathogenic environment in the urethra.
Some scientists have become skeptical of this method of treating prostatitis, arguing that the pathogenic environment penetrates further into the genitourinary system and contributes to inflammation of other organs. Experiments are currently being carried out, this point of view has not been refuted or clinically proven, therefore massage is an integral method of treating prostatitis.
Traditional treatment at home
Traditional medicine is often used to treat prostatitis at home. If chronic prostatitis is diagnosed, additional therapy with folk remedies will be very helpful. It will not be superfluous in case of an acute manifestation of prostatitis, however, treatment only at home is unacceptable.
Among the popular methods, the following can be considered quite effective:
- Treatment of prostatitis with pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds contain a large amount of zinc, which is necessary for men, regardless of whether they have prostatitis.
- Treatment of prostatitis with parsley - helps relieve inflammation and normalize sexual function. Contains a large amount of vitamins.
- Treatment of prostatitis with infusions of hemlock and celandine. This method should be used with caution, since these herbs are poisonous and strict adherence to the dosage and dosage regimen is required.
- Treatment of prostatitis with wormwood. Used to relieve inflammation and remove purulent infections.
- Treatment of prostatitis with garlic, dill, hazelnuts, chestnuts, propolis, herbs, etc.
Most of these methods are aimed at relieving inflammatory processes and normalizing sexual function. A large number of different vitamins saturate the body, which plays a role in preventing exacerbations of prostatitis.
Consequences of prostatitis
If you refuse and prostatitis treatment is not started in a timely manner, there is a high probability of developing serious complications. Among the complications:
- infertility;
- impotence;
- HPB;
- prostate cancer and others.
If treatment is refused, the infection will penetrate further into nearby tissues. Other prostate diseases may also develop, including stones and cysts.
In prostatitis, the level of sex hormones decreases, which leads to a decrease in sexual desire (libido). Erectile dysfunction begins and premature ejaculation may occur. Impotence is possible.
Prostatitis also leads to infertility. This problem is especially common in patients who have developed chronic prostatitis. This complication is observed in half of these patients.
Prostate sclerosis may occur. In this case, the gland stops working partially or completely. This problem is accompanied by severe pain, sexual dysfunction and problems urinating.
Prostate adenoma and prostate cancer are the most dangerous complications of prostatitis.
The problems and complications that prostatitis causes, in one way or another, affect a man's sexual life. This leads to psychological problems, stress and depression.
It is important to carefully monitor the signs in order to recognize chronic prostatitis in time.
Prostatitis prevention
Prevention of exacerbations aims to monitor health and identify problems in a timely manner. Since in most cases prostatitis is a consequence of untreated diseases of the genitourinary system, great attention should be paid to the treatment of such diseases.
Prostatitis is considered a disease that is easier to prevent than to cure.
Of the preventive methods, the most important are:
- Sport activities. They serve to improve blood circulation in the pelvis, prevent the appearance of congestion and strengthen the pelvic muscles.
- Regular sex life. Medications to artificially prolong sexual intercourse, interruption of sexual intercourse and suppression of ejaculation are undesirable.
- Refusal of promiscuity. Violent sex life leads to sexually transmitted infections.
- Proper and healthy nutrition.
- Stop drinking.
- Strengthening the body's defenses, preventing hypothermia.
- Minimizing stress.
Prostatitis has a low rate of self-healing or home treatment. Therefore, at the first signs, you should immediately seek out a urologist to prescribe appropriate treatment. You also need to carefully monitor the signs indicating chronic prostatitis and consult a doctor in time.