How prostatitis manifests itself: symptoms and signs

Inflammation of the prostate today is a leader in the group of male diseases transmitted mainly through sexual contact. Its complications threaten infertility, decreased libido, impotence.

The first symptoms of prostatitis in men

Prostatitis is an inflammatory disease. This is one of the most common urological pathologies, which is diagnosed in the strong half of humanity.

This anomaly is most commonly found in men over the age of thirty, although the disease has recently become much younger. Treatment of prostatitis should be performed by qualified specialists (urologists or andrologists), as there is a high probability of developing various complications.

How is prostatitis treated?

With the help of drugs

• NSAIDs - relieve inflammation, fever and chills. They have a mild analgesic effect. With the onset of prostatitis, short-term treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamins is needed to keep the gland in a normal state. Men are prescribed: Diclofenac, Nice, Voltaren, Nimesulide. The drugs are produced in suppositories, tablets, injections.
• Antibiotics - designed to eliminate the infectious or bacteriological factor of inflammation. The prostatitis treatment regimen is signed after identifying the pathogen and testing its antibiotic resistance. The course of treatment is 7-10 days. In severe cases, therapy is extended to two weeks.
• Hormones are recommended if the usual course of medication has not been helpful, as well as when sexual desire is reduced due to advanced disease. Treatment with hormones at an early stage is prohibited. The drugs are taken under the strict supervision of a urologist.
• Symptomatic medications - to eliminate the pain syndrome, take aspirin tablets. The spasms are removed by No-shpa. Novocain blockade is indicated for persistent intense pain.
• Vitamins and drugs to maintain prostate function in working order. During the period of remission it is recommended to take drugs to normalize metabolism and improve blood supply to glandular tissues and juice production. For this, phytopreparations are prescribed: Prostamol-Uno, Prostate-forte and the like. To strengthen the immune system is shown a complex of vitamins and minerals: Duovit, Vitrum.

Self-medication is dangerous, it does more harm than good. Before taking any of these medicines, you should consult a urologist.

With the help of physiotherapy

• UHF and microwave.
• Magnetic therapy.
• Mud treatment.
• Galvanizing.
• Ultraphonophoresis.
• Laser treatment.
• Heat therapy.

natural remedies

Diagnosis

To begin treatment of prostatitis in time, you need to contact a competent specialist who will conduct a thorough examination and make the correct diagnosis. The list of recommended diagnostic methods includes the following:

• Blood tests - conduct a study of the biochemical composition, the content of PSA (prostate-specific antigen), general analysis and PCR, if necessary.
• Urine analysis - the man is asked to urinate in several different containers to perform the test in different ways.
• Scraping from the surface of the urethral canal to detect an infectious pathogen.
• Bacteriological culture of prostate secretion and urethral secretions to determine the bacterial pathogen and its drug resistance.
• Prostate ultrasound - allows you to assess the size and shape of the gland, the presence or absence of tissue fusion, adhesions and scarring.

A mandatory element in the diagnosis of prostatitis is a rectal digital examination. The finger examination allows the doctor to feel the gland and assess its density, structure, shape and size. Also, during a rectal examination, a secretion of the prostate is obtained, which is then sent for analysis. Additional test methods are prescribed to a specific patient individually, if indicated.

These can be measurements of urine flow rate, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography, pelvic X-rays and other methods.

Acute prostatitis

The disease begins with a sharp rise in temperature (up to 40 degrees), excruciating headache, fever. The symptoms that appear are accompanied by pain in the groin, perineum, back, urethral secretions, frequent urination and constant urge to urinate.

Bladder emptying is delayed, burning sensation. The urine itself becomes cloudy and a blood impurity may appear in it. There is irritability, fatigue.

The result of acute prostatitis can be a complete resolution of the process (with timely treatment). As the changes occur in many organs of the pelvis, they cannot be left to chance, otherwise the corresponding complications will arise:

• Vesiculitis is an inflammation of the seminal vesicles, the cause of pus in the seminal fluid, which not only reduces the quality of ejaculate, but leads to loss of reproductive function.
• Coliculitis - inflammatory changes in the seminal tubercle cause the development of severe pain during sex, interruption of orgasm, impotence of a psychological nature.
• The formation of an abscess in the body of the prostate, its rupture, purulent damage to the rectum leads to exacerbation of symptoms, severe intoxication of the body, to death.
• Stagnation in the tissues of the prostate leads to a change in their structure, disruption of innervation, blood supply, both to the gland itself and to nearby organs, with a violation of their functions. Erection becomes insufficient for full sexual intercourse, premature ejaculation is observed, prolonged sexual intercourse without orgasm.
• Scarring changes in the gland, the spermatic cord lead to infertility, reduced quality of sperm composition and sperm motility. Narrowing of the urethra interferes with the normal process of urination, obstruction of the bladder can cause acute urinary retention, which requires urgent surgical attention.

Main symptoms

As noted above, the disease can be chronic and acute. Common and one of the most important symptoms is increased urination. A healthy man usually experiences no more than 10-11 urges to urinate during the day (the normal number is 5-6 urges).

As a result of the development of inflammation of the prostate there is a negative effect on the bladder, therefore in the presence of the disease the following symptoms will appear:

• Increase the number of urges (while the daily volume of urine remains the same).
• Urine comes out in small portions, which is associated with receiving false signals from the receptors of the bladder due to the presence of an inflammatory process. Also, therefore, there may be a feeling that the bladder is full even after emptying.
• Pain during urination, which is due to narrowing of the urethra due to the inflammatory process in the prostate.
• Difficulty urinating due to compression of certain areas of the urethra by inflammation. In some cases, men cannot empty their bladder at all because of this.
• At night, the walls of the bladder begin to give false signals, which increases the number of trips to the toilet during sleep.

Part of the diagnosis of prostatitis can be made by monitoring body temperature, combined with problems with urination. If these problems are accompanied by a rise in temperature to subfebrile and febrile values, then with a high degree of probability we can talk about the development of pathology. It is important to note that in the later stages of the disease, on the contrary, there may be a decrease in body temperature to 35, 5-36 degrees, which in any case is an extremely negative and dangerous symptom, which should notto be allowed.

In the middle stages of the disease, blood may be seen in the patient's urine. This sign is relatively rare and often not indicative, but extremely dangerous. It can begin to appear due to purulent fusion of the prostate, trauma to the prostate gland, as well as in cases of complications of the inflammatory process with hyperplasia. Treatment in this case is complicated (surgery is often required).

Treatment should begin as soon as the first symptoms of the disease appear. If there have been at least some, albeit seemingly minor, problems with urination, which in some cases are accompanied by fever and pain in the area of simplicity, then you should immediately make an appointment with a urologist to clarify the diagnosis. It is imperative to pay attention to the signs of pathology described above, as it is possible to defeat prostatitis quickly and painlessly only with timely treatment.

Why does the prostate gland become inflamed?

In fact, there are only 2 main reasons:

1. Infection. Most often, prostatitis develops precisely due to an infection in the prostate. The infection can occur through the bladder, urethra, rectum, blood and lymph. It turns out that prostatitis itself is often a complication of an existing disease. Therefore, never self-medicate, you must first cure the source of the infection. Cystitis, pyelonephritis, urethritis, STIs (sexually transmitted infections) - this is understandable, they are directly related to the prostate. Even untreated tonsillitis, sinusitis, flu, tooth decay can also return to pursue prostate inflammation.
2. Circulatory disorders. This can be due to both structural features and spasms of the urethra, disorders of nerve conduction and the work of the muscles of the abdomen and pelvis, as well as due to external factors.

However, whether prostatitis develops or not depends primarily on predisposing factors:

• Chaotic sex life. The abundance of sexual partners, especially unprotected contacts - this depletes the immune system, which must constantly encounter foreign microflora in female secretions. And sooner or later it fails.
• Long abstinence. This is the other extreme. Lack of sex has a bad effect on the general condition of the man and especially on the prostate. His secretion stagnates, blood circulation is disrupted, an infection develops.
• masturbation. It happens that men try to escape the lack of sex through masturbation. However, this leads to a decrease in prostate tone, it becomes lethargic. It is even isolated in a separate type of prostatitis - congestive.
• Overweight. In overweight men, the load on the pelvic organs, as well as on the body as a whole, increases significantly. The blood supply is disturbed, due to which prostatitis, hemorrhoids and a number of other diseases appear.
• Hypothermia. "Don't sit in the cold, " they tell all the girls. But this also applies to men. Extreme winter fun enthusiasts, avid fishermen, owners of old cars (oh, how often I see men lying on cardboard under the car in the winter) are at risk. ), even passengers on icy trains, as well as fashionistas with rolled-up trousers and no hats. Oh, yes, and urinating outside in the winter is also fraught with serious consequences.
• Inaction. In general, this applies to the work process, when you have to sit in one place for a long time: drivers, office workers. Crossing the legs is especially harmful, as the load on the prostate only increases.
• Stress. Psychological problems, chronic lack of sleep, busy work schedule are the favorites of infections.
• Restriction of the desire to urinate. Are 5 minutes saved in a busy workflow worth the potential problems?
• Bad habits. So where without them? Alcohol and nicotine abuse, which only violates.
• Improper nutrition. Fatty, spicy, salty foods are a magnet for diseases of the pelvic organs.
• background diseases. Any untreated infectious disease can be complicated by prostatitis.
• Tight underwear. As well as "modern" too tight pants. They compress the small pelvis, disrupt blood circulation, cause swelling and inflammation.
• Physical overload. Professional athletes, loaders, active visitors to gyms are at great risk.
• Self-medication. Sometimes men are ashamed to admit their problems even to a doctor, trying to crush the disease with various folk remedies, proven and not so good. It happens, however, that without drugs prescribed by a competent doctor, one can not cope here.

How is the disease diagnosed?

The diagnosis is made by a urologist or andrologistafter examination of the patient, collection of medical history and examination of symptoms. The doctor must establish the method of contraception of the patient, the presence of STIs in the sexual partner, the possibility of anal intercourse without a condom. These data facilitate diagnosis and direct the doctor's thinking in the right direction. Prescribing the appearance of symptoms of the disease or discomfort in the perineum allows us to assess the course of prostatitis and its severity. The urologist must examine the patient's genitals and perform a rectal examination of the prostate gland. To do this, he inserts a finger into the patient's anus and touches the anterior wall of the rectum with a protruding prostate. The pain and its size indicate the intensity of the inflammatory process.

The doctor then conducts a series of instrumental, microscopic, bacteriological and immunological tests to determine the cause of the disease. The most common diagnostic method is a 4 or 3 cup urine sample. The first method is more time consuming and difficult to apply in practice, as it requires the patient to intentionally interrupt urination several times. The second modification is simpler: the patient urinates continuously in three different containers in equal portions. The first part talks about the condition of the urinary tract, the second about the pathology of the bladder and kidneys, from the third they receive information about the condition of the prostate gland. All collected materials are examined under a microscope. In prostatitis, white blood cells and sometimes bacteria are found in the third portion of urine.

The secretion of the prostate gland is also taken for microscopy.To do this, the doctor massages the prostate through the wall of the rectum for a while so that it empties into the urethra. The material collected in the laboratory is smeared, stained and examined at high magnification. A sign of inflammation are leukocytes, the bacterial etiology of the disease are the bacteria in the smear. To determine the type of pathogen, prostate secretion is seeded on nutrient media. If pathogenic microorganisms are present, after 3-5 days they form microbial colonies, which can then be examined. The bacteriological method allows obtaining data on the sensitivity of the microflora to antibiotics.

From the instrumental diagnostic methods are performed:

• Ultrasound of the kidneys;
• TRUS of the prostate with Doppler - an ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum for the best visualization of the prostate gland, its blood flow is additionally assessed;
• Ascending uroretrography is required in persistent recurrent prostatitis. An X-ray contrast agent is injected into the urethra, after which a series of consecutive images are made.

In addition to these methods, all types of STI studies are of great importance. Among them are:

1. PCR ejaculate, prostate secretion, scraping of the urethral mucosa - the method allows you to detect a wide range of pathogens;
2. Blood ELISA - to detect specific antibodies against STI pathogens.

Types of prostatitis

According to the criteria of the American National Institutes of Health (NIH USA) from 1995, there are four categories of prostatitis:

• Category I: Acute prostatitis;
• Category II: Chronic bacterial prostatitis;
• Category III: Chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP / CPPS);
• Category IIIa: Chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome with signs of inflammation;
• Category IIIb: Chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome without signs of inflammation;
• Category IV: Asymptomatic (asymptomatic) chronic prostatitis.

Occasionally there is chronic granulomatous prostatitis, which is not mentioned in this classification.

For their part, most experts distinguish:

According to the course of the disease:

• acute prostatitis;
• chronic prostatitis;

Depending on the causes of the disease:

• bacterial prostatitis;
• nonbacterial prostatitis

In most cases (especially in men under 40) bacterial prostatitis is noted.

Based on this there are:

• acute bacterial prostatitis;
• chronic bacterial prostatitis;
• chronic abacterial prostatitis.

Prevention

To prevent the onset of inflammation or recurrence of chronic pathology, you should follow these recommendations:

• Reduce the amount of alcohol consumed;
• Exercise regularly;
• Avoid hypothermia;
• Stop smoking;
• Avoid stressful situations;
• Treat the inflammation in time - in the first place, this applies to genital infections;
• Take a contrast shower;
• Avoid lifting heavy objects;
• Use barrier methods of contraception;
• Have regular sex;
• Take vitamin preparations;
• Participate in strengthening immunity;
• Visit a urologist twice a year;
• Eat a proper and balanced diet.

Purpose of the prostate in the male body: what is it responsible for?

The prostate is an exocrine gland in the male body.

Iron belongs to the reproductive system and is responsible for the production of a number of specific substances:

• the main one is the secret (prostate juice), which provides the necessary viscosity of the ejaculate and, accordingly, the normal motility of the sperm. When the semen is too thick, fertilization is difficult and the woman simply cannot get pregnant by a seemingly healthy man;
• other components maintain the normal composition of sperm. These include biologically active substances, immunoglobulins, enzymes, vitamins, trace elements, etc. The norms of these substances are individual, and the prostate is the one that regulates their content.

Thus, she is responsible for a man's reproductive abilities, for the opportunity to have a regular and full sexual life and to have children. This is the main function of the gland, but there are others, no less important.