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 that recorded, this is explained by the peculiarities of the diagnosis and the possibility of the course of the disease in latent form.
The prostate gland is a small glandular-muscular organ found in the small pelvis below the bladder, covering the initial section of the urethra (urethra). The prostate gland produces a secret that, by mixing with the seminal fluid, maintains the activity of the sperm and their resistance to various adverse conditions.
With prostatitis, numerous urination problems occur, libido decreases, and erectile function is impaired. The saddest thing is that, in the absence of proper treatment, around 40% of patients face some form of infertility, as the prostate gland can no longer produce a sufficient amount of high-quality secretion to ensure sperm motility. . It is important to remember that similar symptoms can occur not only with prostatitis, but also with prostate adenoma and cancer.
Causes of prostatitis
There are 4 main forms of prostatitis: acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, non-bacterial prostatitis, and prostatodynia.
In people under 35 years of age, the disease usually presents as acute bacterial prostatitis. It is called bacterial prostatitis when there is laboratory confirmation of the presence of an infection. Most of the time it turns out to be chlamydia, trichomoniasis, gardnerellosis, or gonorrhea. The infection enters the prostate gland from the urethra, bladder, rectum, through blood and lymphatic vessels in the pelvis.
However, recent studies show that in most cases the infection is superimposed on the already existing disorders of the structure of the prostate tissue and the blood circulation in it. In nonbacterial prostatitis, bacteria cannot be isolated, although this does not exclude their presence.
In older patients, chronic forms of the disease are diagnosed more frequently. Prostatodynia is the presence of a clinical picture of prostatitis, compaction of the prostate tissue without signs of inflammation.
Symptoms of prostatitis.
The symptoms of prostatitis can be divided into 3 groups:
- urinary system disorders (frequent and painful need to urinate, feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder), pain in the lower abdomen;
- disorders of sexual function (pain along the urethra and in the rectum during ejaculation, weak erection, premature ejaculation, loss of orgasm, etc. );
- increased anxiety and nervousness of a man, due to the fixation of the attention of patients on his condition.
Acute prostatitisusually begins with a rise in body temperature to 39-40 ° C with fever and chills. Difficulty and pain when urinating. Edema of the prostate gland develops, which can cause acute urinary retention.
Chronic prostatitisproceed more calmly, but at any time with unfavorable factors an exacerbation may occur. 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, the development of male infertility;
- narrowing and scarring of the urethra;
- recurrent cystitis;
- pyelonephritis and other kidney damage;
- abscess (suppuration) of the prostate, requiring surgery;
- Sepsis is a life-threatening complication that often develops in people with reduced immunity (patients with diabetes mellitus, kidney 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 for diagnosing prostate diseases is vast.
Your doctor will order a bacteriological study of your urine and prostate secretions. To clarify the location of the urinary tract infection, a study of different portions of urine is carried out. Also, a mandatory diagnostic method is a digital examination of the prostate gland. This procedure is not very pleasant, but it is very informative.
Your doctor may refer you for ultrasound exams of the prostate and pelvic organs. If necessary, prescribe a CT or nuclear-magnetic tomography, a cystoscopy, a urography and a study of prostate enzymes.
When making a diagnosis, your doctor must rule out the presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. For quick pain relief in acute prostatitis, pain relievers and hot baths may be recommended.
Bacterial prostatitisrequires the appointment of antibiotics, the selection of which is carried out according to the results of bacteriological seeding of secretions in nutritive media and the determination of the sensitivity of the pathogen to chemotherapy.
Non-bacterial prostatitisit is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
Prevention of prostatitis
Do not allow hypothermia of the body, do not sit on cold objects. Eat a light diet (excluding alcohol, spicy, fried, and canned foods).
Regular sex life is also a way to prevent prostatitis (as one of the triggers 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 examinations (once a year) by a urologist. After suffering from prostatitis, outpatient preventive treatment courses are held at least 2 times a year for a month and a spa treatment course.