It is generally accepted that after 30 years, 30% of men suffer from prostatitis, after 40 - 40%, after 50 - 50%, etc. At the same time, the actual morbidity is much higher than the registered one, which is explained by the peculiarities of the diagnosis and the possibility of the course of the disease in a latent form.
The prostate gland is a small glandular-muscular organ located in the small pelvis below the bladder, covering the initial part of the urethra (urethra). The prostate gland creates a secretion that, when mixed with semen, maintains sperm activity and their resistance to various adverse conditions.
With prostatitis, there are numerous problems with urination, decreased libido and impaired erectile function. The saddest thing is that in the absence of proper treatment, about 40% of patients face some form of infertility because the prostate can no longer produce enough high-quality secretions to ensure sperm motility. It is important to remember that similar symptoms can occur not only in prostatitis, but also in prostate adenoma and cancer.
Causes of prostatitis
There are 4 main forms of prostatitis: acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, nonbacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia.
In people under the age of 35, the disease usually occurs in the form of acute bacterial prostatitis. Bacterial prostatitis is called when there is laboratory confirmation of the presence of infection. It usually turns out to be chlamydia, trichomoniasis, gardnerellosis or gonorrhea. The infection enters the prostate from the urethra, bladder, rectum, through the blood and lymph vessels of the pelvis.
However, recent research proves that in most cases, the infection overlaps with pre-existing disorders of prostate tissue structure and blood circulation in it. In non-bacterial prostatitis, bacteria cannot be isolated, although this does not exclude their presence.
Chronic forms of the disease are more often diagnosed in elderly patients. Prostatodynia is the presence of a clinical picture of prostatitis, compaction of prostate tissue without signs of inflammation.
Symptoms of prostatitis
Symptoms of prostatitis can be divided into 3 groups:
- urinary disorders (frequent and painful urges to urinate, feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder), pain in the lower abdomen;
- sexual dysfunction (pain along the urethra and rectum during ejaculation, poor erection, premature ejaculation, loss of orgasm, etc. );
- increased anxiety and nervousness of men, due to fixing the patient's attention on their condition.
Acute prostatitisit usually begins with a rise in body temperature to 39-40 ° C with fever and chills. Difficulty and painful urination. Prostate edema develops, which can cause acute urinary retention.
Chronic prostatitisit takes place more calmly, but at any moment with unfavorable factors it can get worse. Possibly asymptomatic.
Complications
In the absence of timely therapy, prostatitis can cause the following complications:
- transition from acute to chronic prostatitis;
- bladder obstruction with acute urinary retention, requiring surgical treatment, development of male infertility;
- narrowing and scarring of the urethra;
- recurrent cystitis;
- pyelonephritis and other kidney damage;
- prostate abscess (suppuration), which requires surgery;
- sepsis is a life-threatening complication that often develops in immunocompromised individuals (patients with diabetes mellitus, renal failure).
What can you do?
If you experience the symptoms described above, try to see a urologist as soon as possible.
What can a doctor do?
The modern arsenal of prostate disease diagnostics is very wide.
Your doctor will order a bacteriological study of urine and prostate secretions. To clarify the localization of the urinary tract infection, a study of different parts of the urine is performed. In addition, a mandatory diagnostic method is a digital prostate examination. This procedure is not very pleasant, but it is very informative.
Your doctor may refer you for ultrasound examinations of your prostate and pelvic organs. If necessary, prescribe computed tomography or magnetic-nuclear tomography, cystoscopy, urography and study of prostate enzymes.
When making a diagnosis, your doctor must rule out the presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. Analgesics and warm baths may be recommended to quickly relieve pain in acute prostatitis.
Bacterial prostatitisrequires the appointment of antibiotics, the selection of which is carried out according to the results of bacteriological sowing of secretions on nutrient media and determination of the susceptibility of pathogens to chemotherapy.
Nonbacterial prostatitisit is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Prevention of prostatitis
Do not allow hypothermia of the body, do not sit on cold objects. Follow a light diet (excluding alcohol, spicy, fried and canned foods).
Regular sex life is also a way to prevent prostatitis (because one of the provoking factors is stagnation of sperm and frequent erections without subsequent ejaculation). Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases is equally important.
In adulthood, every man should undergo regular (once a year) examinations by a urologist. After suffering from prostatitis, preventive courses of outpatient treatment are performed at least 2 times a year for a month and one course of spa treatment.