One of the most common diseases of the male genitourinary system is chronic prostatitis.As medical practice shows, one in twelve men of sexual age suffers from this disease, while approximately 40% of cases are diagnosed in patients between 20 and 40 years old.Chronic prostatitis, which causes physical suffering to its owner, often causes a deterioration in the patient's general condition, interfering with his normal sexual and social activity.What is the nature of this disease, how to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis and how favorable are the treatment prognoses 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, urination disorders and pathologies of male sexual function.
Prerequisites for the appearance of chronic prostatitis may be infections, prostate engorgement, benign hyperplasia, or a combination of these factors.There are several possible routes for the infection to enter the prostate gland:
- with blood flow from sources of infection present in the body (pneumonia, cavities, pustular skin lesions, sinusitis, etc.);
- with the influx of lymph from other organs (with dysbacteriosis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel diseases, 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 prostatitis;Its appearance is based on congestive processes and circulatory disorders in the prostate and adjacent organs.
Among the main causes of stagnation of secretions in the prostate, urologists identify the following:
- irregular sexual life, prolonged abstinence;
- defective ejaculation, practice of interrupted sexual relations;
- sexual excitement often unrealized.
The risk of chronic prostatitis increases in men with reduced physical activity, with severe or mild, but regular hypothermia, prolonged exposure to stress, as well as in those who suffer from alcoholism.
Main signs 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, being asymptomatic, the disease is usually detected in patients only during a medical examination, which is why every man is recommended to periodically visit a specialist to check for the presence of urological diseases.However, the so-called "latent" stage of chronic prostatitis can go into the acute phase after a man has suffered from stress, an inflammatory disease, as a result of hypothermia, disruption of intimate life, etc.In this case, the following symptoms should serve as a signal of the need for an urgent visit to the doctor:
- increased sweating, especially manifested in the perineal area;
- itching or discomfort in the groin area;
- frequent need 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) in body temperature;weakness, sleep and performance disorders;
- 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 region, external genitals
Together, these symptoms of chronic prostatitis can cause disorders of the nervous system, characterized by neurotic states in which the patient focuses on his well-being.
Possible consequences of chronic prostatitis if left untreated
Unlike acute prostatitis, chronic prostatitis is characterized by an alternation of periodic, wavy exacerbations and relatively long remissions, during which a man can feel absolutely healthy.It is the patient's lack of contact with a specialist that causes further development of the inflammatory process.
If the inflammation spreads through the genitourinary system, complications in the form of cystitis or pyelonephritis are likely, with possible transformation into urolithiasis.But most of the time, the result of advanced chronic prostatitis is vesiculitis (inflammatory disease of the seminal vesicles) or epididymoorchitis (inflammation of the testicles).Both diseases can cause intractable infertility and sometimes irreversible damage to male reproductive function.
One of the most serious results of chronic prostatitis is scarring of the prostate tissue with shrinkage of the organ.This process often extends to the back of the urethra and bladder, causing a persistent interruption of urine flow.
The situation is significantly aggravated by the combination of the disease with prostate adenoma, which occurs more frequently in men over 50 years of age.By interrupting the outflow of the prostate gland, the adenoma causes the progression of chronic prostatitis, so if the patient is indicated for surgical removal of a benign tumor, this must be preceded by treatment for prostatitis.
Diagnosis, methods and prospects for treatment of the disease.
The initial appointment with the doctor consists of collecting information about the main symptoms of the disease, followed by a general examination, digital rectal examination, and collection of the patient's prostate secretions.Another diagnostic measure to make an accurate diagnosis is a transrectal ultrasound.
Before starting a course of therapy, a patient with chronic prostatitis should undergo a urine culture test and study the secretion of the prostate to determine the sensitivity of the flora to antibacterial drugs, in order to optimize the treatment method.
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 correct selection of drugs, since if all microorganisms are not destroyed during therapy, the disease will sooner or later make itself felt again.For this reason, the patient must complete the antibiotic treatment completely, without interruptions or other violations of medical recommendations.
- Physiotherapy.Prostate massage is one of the most effective components of treatment in the complex of this type of procedures.The essence of prostate massage is as follows: the effect on the gland helps to squeeze out the inflammatory secretion accumulated in it into the ducts and then into the urethra.At the same time, it improves the quality of blood flow in the prostate, which enhances the effect of the antibacterial medications taken by the patient.In addition to prostate massage, a patient diagnosed with chronic prostatitis may be prescribed treatment with laser, ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic influence on the inflamed area.
- Immunocorrection.A prolonged inflammatory process, such as chronic prostatitis, as well as the use of independent or incorrectly 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 functions to the maximum.This is facilitated by normalization of lifestyle and visiting an immunologist.
Although not all cases of chronic prostatitis, due to its various forms of complexity, can result in a complete recovery of the patient, strict compliance with medical recommendations by the patient guarantees long-term and possibly lifelong remission of the disease.
How to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis?
Prevention of chronic prostatitis consists of following several basic rules:
- Change your lifestyle for a more active one.If it is not possible to play sports, do daily warm-up exercises or gymnastics.
- Avoid hypothermia.Do not sit on stone slabs, metal curbs, etc.
- For constipation, use laxatives and if constipation becomes chronic, visit a doctor.
- Try to normalize your sex life.Excessive sexual activity, as well as prolonged abstinence, negatively affect the state and functions of the prostate gland.
- Don't have casual sex;Otherwise, give preference to the protected sex.
- At the first suspicion of an STD, immediately consult a specialist;do not self-medicate.
- Visit your urologist at least once a year to rule out the possibility of developing a disease.
Be attentive to your men's health and the diagnosis of "chronic prostatitis" will never stand in your way!