Prostatitis: Symptoms, Treatment

Prostatitis is an inflammatory disease of the male prostate, located just below the bladder and a small part of the reproductive organs.

Every 7 men over the age of 35 suffer from prostatitis, and with each target reached, the risk of developing inflammatory processes in the prostate increases, under the influence of external and internal factors.

reason

Inflammation of the prostate can occur for a variety of reasons, and doctors have identified the main causes:

1. The microcirculation of blood in the pelvic organs is disrupted - this leads to stagnation of the process and an increase in the size of the prostate.Obesity and a sedentary, sedentary lifestyle can lead to a stagnant process.
2. Diseases such as tonsillitis, gonorrhea, urethritis, cystitis, influenza and pyelonephritis can cause prostatitis if bacteria, viruses or protozoa enter the prostate tissue in the context of an acute or chronic inflammatory process in other organs of the body.If infection occurs in distant areas and organs, infectious pathogens can enter the prostate through the blood and lymphatic flow.
3. Soft tissue injuries and bruising to the abdomen, perineum, and external genitalia - this can cause swelling and poor circulation to the injured area;
4. Hypothermia of the body.
5. Chronic constipation.
6. Hormonal imbalance.
7. Tempest or lack of sex is harmful, whether it's frequent sex (more than once a day) or infrequent intimacy (less than once a week), because it can lead to gonadal depletion or prostate congestion.

symptoms of prostatitis

The disease has both acute and chronic forms.

Acute prostatitis is characterized by sudden onset in generally healthy conditions, clinically accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Chills and weakness;
• General malaise;
• increased irritability and nervousness;
• Increased body temperature (not higher than 37.5 degrees);
• Pulling or cutting pain in the lower abdomen and perineum;
• Frequent urge to urinate and persistent feeling that the bladder is not completely empty;
• Rectal pain and difficulty defecating.

Without diagnosis and prompt treatment, acute prostatitis may be complicated by a purulent process and discharge of pus from the urethra during urination.

Symptoms of chronic prostatitis

When the disease becomes chronic, clinical symptoms of prostatitis subside and the patient feels recovered.Typical symptoms of the chronic inflammatory process of the prostate are a burning sensation along the urethra and radiation in the perineum that worsens with urination and defecation.The disease gradually progresses and leads to impotence.Chronic prostatitis has a remission period and an exacerbation period, but even in the exacerbation period, the symptoms will disappear and are not as obvious as acute prostatitis.The following symptoms appear clinically:

• Difficulty erecting;
• Inability to ejaculate and complete sexual intercourse;
• Decreased libido;
• Discharge of mucus from the urethra, mixed with white flakes;
• A feeling that the bladder is not completely empty;
• Persistent pain in the waist, pubic bone, and groin;
• Weak urine flow - This is caused by an enlarged prostate compressing the lumen of the urethra.

A chronic, slow inflammatory process in the urethra can irritate nerve endings in the pelvis, causing a constant urge to urinate, especially at night.Many men are embarrassed to ask their doctor about such a delicate matter, which increases the risk of serious complications such as complete erectile dysfunction, infertility, and even prostate cancer.

In addition, from the source of chronic prostate infection, pathogenic microorganisms enter the kidneys through blood and lymph, causing acute inflammation, urinary retention, and increasing the risk of renal failure.

The constant accumulation of urine in the bladder and urethra creates favorable conditions for the formation of salt crystals, and then stones - prostatitis in men often coincides with urolithiasis.

diagnostic methods

Urologists are involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of prostatitis.In order to make a diagnosis and determine the form and cause of the inflammatory process in the prostate, the patient needs to undergo a number of tests:

• Prostate palpation - performed through the rectum, palpation may reveal prostate enlargement, pain, discharge of pus or mucus;
• Smear of urethral discharge - the resulting material is sent to the laboratory for study;
• Urinalysis-general, etc.;
• Ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs and prostate.

If the spread of the pathological process to the bladder is suspected, the patient also undergoes cystoscopy - the examination of the bladder wall using a flexible device equipped with an optical system at the end.

When diagnosing prostatitis, it is important to distinguish its pathological process from prostatic adenomas and other urological diseases with similar clinical courses.

treat

Acute and chronic prostatitis are treated differently, so patients are strongly advised not to self-medicate.

Acute nonbacterial prostatitis can be treated with a combination of herbal and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Treatment of acute bacterial prostatitis

The principles of treatment of acute bacterial prostatitis depend directly on the severity of the symptoms of the disease.

A distinctive feature of bacterial prostatitis is the acute onset and rapidly increasing symptoms of toxicity in the body - nausea, vomiting, headache, increased body temperature.The process of emptying the bladder is accompanied by cutting pain in the lower abdomen and perineum that radiates to the lower back.Purulent processes often occur in the prostate and abscesses form.

Treatment of acute bacterial prostatitis is done in the hospital because the patient's condition can be very serious.Treatment includes a comprehensive approach:

• The patient must remain in bed;
• Prescription antibiotics - macrolides, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins;
• Choose drugs that improve blood microcirculation in the pelvic organs.They ensure the outflow of lymphatic fluid and venous blood, thereby reducing the severity of prostate swelling and inflammation;
• Medications from the NSAID group are suitable for oral administration.These drugs not only reduce the inflammatory process but also eliminate pain;
• Pain relievers - you can take tablets by mouth or have rectal suppositories inserted into your rectum;
• To eliminate poisoning from the body, a physiological sodium solution containing glucose is injected intravenously.

Important!Prostate massage is strictly prohibited as the risk of sepsis is high.

surgical treatment

Prostatitis surgery is only needed when the patient has acute urinary retention and is unable to empty his bladder.If a prostate abscess occurs, surgery cannot be avoided.

The course of treatment for prostatitis lasts for 14 days, after which the patient undergoes a comprehensive examination again to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.If necessary, the treatment course can be extended and adjusted.

Treatment of chronic forms

The treatment of chronic prostatitis varies and depends largely on the stage of the pathological process.If the inflammatory process is exacerbated, treatment is the same as for acute prostatitis.

The treatment methods for chronic prostatitis in remission are as follows:

1. Of course take NSAIDs.The medication is prescribed twice daily for at least 3 days and sometimes up to 5 days.
2. Medications that help improve venous and lymphatic outflow.
3. Immunomodulators.
4. Antidepressants and sedatives help normalize sleep and eliminate irritability.
5. Multivitamin complex rich in zinc, selenium, and B vitamins.

During the remission phase of the inflammatory process of the prostate, the patient needs to undergo physical therapy:

• prostate massage;
• ultrasound;
• electrophoresis;
• magnet therapy;
• Microwave heat therapy.

Surgical treatment of chronic prostatitis

For advanced chronic prostatitis, patients sometimes require surgical intervention.This can be done in two ways:

• transurethral resection;
• Prostatectomy.

transurethral resection

This surgical treatment method is a minimally invasive procedure, although it is performed under general anesthesia.During the procedure, a resectoscope is inserted beneath the urethra and a current pulse is applied through the resectoscope.These electrical pulses act like an electric knife and partially remove prostate tissue.A huge advantage of this intervention is that there is no blood loss, as the waves not only remove the altered prostate tissue but also immediately treat the blood vessels and prevent bleeding.

Transurethral resection significantly relieved the patient's condition - after the operation, urination resumed, the man no longer had a burning sensation in his perineum, and he no longer jumped up to go to the toilet at night.Erectile function and normal ejaculation were also restored.The entire procedure is monitored by the doctor on a monitor screen, so there is little risk of complications during or immediately after the procedure.

prostatectomy

Prostatectomy is a major abdominal surgery that always carries risks for the patient.During surgery, the doctor removes all or most of the prostate.The recovery period is 4-6 weeks and the risk of postoperative complications is high, but sometimes this method of surgical intervention is the only way to relieve the patient's condition and eliminate the consequences of severe prostatitis.

Other treatments for chronic prostatitis

Other ways to treat chronic prostatitis include:

1. Leech therapy - or leech therapy.Medical leeches are placed on the area of inflammation, and during their activity the leech secretes a substance with saliva that normalizes the blood, eliminates congestion and quickly stops the inflammatory process.Leeches are used only on a special, medical, individual basis for each patient.After the surgery, doctors place the used leeches in a disinfectant solution, where they die.It is best to do at least 5 courses of leech therapy.
2. Cryodestruction – using liquid nitrogen.This treatment is suitable for patients who have not responded well to medical treatment and for whom surgery is contraindicated for one reason or another.
3. Microwave therapy is a special method of applying electromagnetic waves to the prostate area.After 1 surgery, tissue swelling is reduced, blood circulation is normalized, and congestion is eliminated.After a course of electromagnetic therapy, the patient's urinary and erectile functions were fully restored.
4. Ultrasound therapy allows you to quickly stop the inflammatory process that occurs during the remission phase; ultrasound therapy is not performed during exacerbations.To enhance the therapeutic effect, additional drugs can be used that, under the influence of ultrasound, penetrate directly into the prostate tissue.
5. Urethral stent surgery - The essence of the surgery is to install a special stent in the urethra to enlarge the urethra lumen and promote the normal outflow of urine.Although the procedure is effective, urethral stent placement only eliminates clinical symptoms of prostatitis but does not alleviate the patient's chronic inflammatory process.

consequences and complications

Without effective treatment, prostatitis can rapidly progress, become a chronic disease, and threaten men's health with its serious complications, including:

• Urolithiasis;
• Pyelonephritis;
• abscess development;
• The inflammatory process spreads to the testicles and spermatic cord, causing infertility;
• Erectile dysfunction and impotence;
• Necrotic changes in prostate tissue.

Occasionally, prostatitis and a long-standing chronic congestion process can promote the degeneration of the disease into adenomas and then into prostate cancer.