What is chronic prostatitis? First of all, you need to understand what the prostate is, it is also the prostate gland. This is an organ that is only present in men in their body, it develops during fetal development and continues throughout life. The prostate is an external secretory gland, i. e. expand his secrets and bring them out.
Due to its location, it is not visible externally, because. located in the pelvis in men. It is a round shape formation, located below the bladder and at the same time located close to the pelvic floor muscles, rectum, ureter, urethra and vascular and small pelvic nerve plexus. Since this organ is an exocrine gland, it is necessary to understand what function it performs. First of all, he produces secretions, which are one of the important components of sperm in men. This secret contains a lot of proteins, amino acids, etc.
Unfortunately, little attention is given to the prostate by both the man himself and the doctor.
So what is chronic prostatitis prostatitis in particular
This is an inflammatory disease of the prostate gland. This inflammation can be either acute or chronic.
No chronic disease begins spontaneously; it is always preceded by some degree of acute inflammation.
In some cases, a man may not be aware of the appearance of the disease, but it will exist for a long time and remain unhealed, and then lead to serious morphological and functional disorders.
Chronic prostatitis usually develops at least three months after acute inflammation of the prostate gland.
As a result of this inflammation, the morphology of the cellular composition is disturbed, and function in the prostate also suffers.Epidemiology
This disease is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in men. The disease is relatively young, that is, men of various age categories are subject to it. If prostate adenomas occur more frequently in old age, then chronic prostatitis can appear in men and at the age of 20 years. The average age at which symptoms of the disease are detected is 40-50 years.
In old age, almost every man suffers from this disease, but many of them can not treat it and do not go to the doctor with complaints about the appearance of certain symptoms.
At the same time, in chronic prostatitis, the symptoms may not immediately reveal themselves, and a man may turn to other more serious problems in his opinion. And just before the treatment of other diseases, the initial cause is revealed. If in case of acute inflammation the wrong treatment has been carried out, chronic prostatitis is inevitable.
Causes of chronic prostatitis
First of all, when identifying the cause of the development of inflammation in the prostate, it is necessary to determine the predisposing factors. There are many of them and it is very common in the modern world.
These are primarily infectious agents. Often the cause is microbial etiology. Microbial infections can be either nonspecific or carry specific pathogens. Specific agents include sexually transmitted infections. And given that in men, many of these infections can be completely asymptomatic, then it can persist in the body for a long time. Even the most unexplained chronic infection can cause prostatitis.
The appearance of nonspecific pathogens in the causative factor may be due to non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, infrequent washing of the glans penis both after urination and a short time after intercourse.
In some cases, vaginal dysbiosis in couples, or some female opportunistic pathogens, plays a large role in the development of prostate inflammation for men.
Among the most common inflammatory agents are the following: chlamydia, trichomonads, gonococci, gardnerella, E. coli, staphylococcus and enterococcus.
Do not forget about the possible participation of viruses and fungi
In this case, the pathogen enters the body in an ascending manner, i. e. through the urethra.
In addition, there is another important means for the penetration of infectious agents - hematogenous. Many men have some kind of inflammatory disease, sometimes the flu or SARS can also trigger the inflammatory process.
Hypothermia, reduced immunity, as well as overheating against the background of pre -existing infections in the body can also trigger the development of inflammation.
Sexual behavior also plays an important role in the development of inflammatory responses. In this case, prolonged sexual abstinence has a negative effect on the condition of the glands, it contributes to blood stagnation in the pelvic organs, disrupted blood supply and blood perfusion of the organs also slows down.
Disrupted sexual intercourse, incomplete removal of sperm leads to stagnation of secretions in the organs, as well as congested and enlarged organs affect the process of blood supply and can also cause slight swelling of the surrounding tissues. In rare cases, the disease is immunological in nature. Autoimmune factors are also not excluded. Chronic somatic infections should also be excluded.
Symptoms and treatment of chronic prostatitis
Symptoms of chronic prostatitis in most men may not be present at all. In fact some are unable to name one or another predisposing factor accurately. However, there are many symptoms of this disease. The most popular is pain. The pain syndrome can last quite a while sometimes months.
Pain is usually not localized in a particular place. It usually has a diffuse character, with a tendency to irradiate the lower back, perineum, scrotum, inguinal area. But that doesn't mean they're right. Often they are attractive and painful, the pain is not permanent. They tend to increase or decrease depending on the condition of the body and the influence of environmental factors.
Another important sign is violations in the sexual sphere. Men can often complain of erectile dysfunction, at first it is almost invisible, and at a later stage it comes longer, despite being exposed to all predisposing factors.
But never with chronic prostatitis there is complete impotence. So is ejaculation. At first, it can happen faster than planned, and at a later stage, on the contrary, it slows down, almost to the point of complete cessation. Orgasm becomes less clear and expressed emotionally. Sometimes problems related to the sexual sphere can affect a partner. A very common cause after men are diagnosed with chronic prostatitis is infertility.
Also quite often men can experience urinary problems. It becomes rapid, sometimes reminiscent of the signs of cystitis. The urgent urge to urinate can bother men at night. Sometimes they are accompanied by pain, cramps, etc. A man can detect the symptoms of chronic prostatitis on his own.
How to diagnose chronic prostatitis in time and start immediate and effective treatment?
Usually it does not cause difficulties among experts of this profile. When a man develops any symptoms, a doctor can make this diagnosis without additional examination.
Typically, the minimum examination is limited to history taking, laboratory tests and digital rectal examination. Digital rectal examination does not require additional preparation for a man. The doctor can determine the size of the prostate, its consistency, pain in certain areas.
Laboratory indicators are not limited to general blood tests. Urine analysis is also necessary, in this case it has certain characteristics. A man needs to remove the last part of the urine, which is called the terminal. In it, the laboratory assistant must determine the number of leukocytes and the presence of bacterial cells. In some cases, the pathogen is not found and you need to be tested for sexually transmitted infections.
They also take smears from the urethra. Another very important part of the diagnostic plan is ultrasound. It is carried out through the rectum using a special sensor. Gland size, presence of scars, tumors, edema, etc. were determined. It is also important to check the blood supply to the organs.
In some more severe and asymptomatic cases, an invasive biopsy procedure may be required.
To exclude cancer, a man can be sent for determination of prostate cancer tumor markers in the blood. It's called PSA. But you should take it no earlier than 10 days after the digital rectal examination.
Treatment of chronic prostatitis
The sooner treatment for chronic prostatitis is started, the more likely it is to bring the disease out of its chronic form. You should not use self -treatment, as prostatitis should be treated by a qualified specialist.
This pathological treatment is carried out by a urologist. Usually, treatment does not require hospitalization. Treatment of all pre -existing chronic diseases is required.
First of all, you should start with a change in lifestyle. It is necessary to exclude casual sexual intercourse, diseases of the partner.
You must follow the rules of personal hygiene. Rinse the glans of the penis thoroughly to prevent the accumulation of bacteria under the foreskin. Sex life should be regular, with full ejaculation. Coitus interruptus should be avoided.
In addition, physical activity should be increased. Move more often to avoid blood stasis in the pelvis and prostate.
Nutrition also needs to be adjusted. Try to avoid fast, spicy, smoked and salty foods. Sweets should also be limited. Alcohol and drugs should be avoided altogether. Men should also stop smoking.
Treatment of prostatitis is also divided into medical and surgical. First of all, with chronic prostatitis, they begin to treat, of course, the cause. And because it is most often contagious, antibiotics are the main remedy. The choice depends primarily on the pathogen detected at diagnosis. It is better if they immediately take the determination of the sensitivity of microorganisms to antibacterial agents.
Then the treatment will be more effective and shorter. Antibiotics can be prescribed by various routes of administration. With an asymptomatic process, the tablet form is usually prescribed. If there is a deterioration of the chronic process, then they use injectable drugs. Treatment of chronic prostatitis may include several methods at once.
An important component of complex treatment is anti-inflammatory drugs. This is usually a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Vasodilators are usually also very necessary, they are used to increase blood supply in the pelvic organs, restore microcirculation. They prevent congestion.
Another class of agents used are immunomodulators. Vitamin therapy should also be included in the complex treatment.
Surgical methods are rarely performed, but sometimes this is the only way out. Among these methods, resection of the prostate gland is used. In some cases, it is necessary to treat complications that have emerged through surgery. This may be an excision of the cyst or the opening of an abscess.
Treatment of chronic prostatitis also includes a variety of physiotherapy. In order for diseases such as chronic prostatitis to have a favorable prognosis, the identified diseases must be treated immediately. The effectiveness of treatment should be monitored by a specialist after some time.