One of the most common diseases of the male urogenital area is chronic prostatitis. As medical practice shows, every twelfth man suffers from this disease during puberty, while it is diagnosed in about 40% of cases in patients aged 20-40 years. Chronic prostatitis brings physical suffering to its owner and often leads to a deterioration in the patient's general condition, preventing his normal sexual and social activity. What is the essence of this disease, how to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis - and if you are one of the sick, how favorable are the prognosis of treatment?
Causes of chronic prostatitis
Chronic prostatitis is a protracted inflammatory process in the prostate gland, accompanied by pain and discomfort in the pelvic area, urinary disorders and pathologies of male sexual function.
Prerequisites for the occurrence of chronic prostatitis can be infections, congestion in the prostate, benign hyperplasia or a combination of these factors. There are several likely routes for an infection to enter the prostate gland:
- with blood flow from foci of infection present in the body (pneumonia, caries, pustular skin lesions, sinusitis, etc. );
- with the influx of lymph from other organs (in dysbacteriosis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc. );
- through the urethra, sexually (one of the consequences of infectious urethritis).
Non-infectious or nonbacterial prostatitis is diagnosed 8 times more often than bacterial; its occurrence is due to stagnant processes and circulatory disorders in the prostate and adjacent organs.
Among the main causes of stagnation of the secret in the prostate, urologists distinguish the following:
- irregular sex life, prolonged abstinence;
- defective ejaculation, the practice of coitus interruptus;
- often unrecognized sexual arousal.
The risk of chronic prostatitis increases in men with reduced physical activity, severe or mild but regular hypothermia, prolonged exposure to stress, as well as in men suffering from alcoholism.
The main signs of the disease
Chronic prostatitis occurs as a result of untimely treatment or ineffective treatment of acute prostatitis and is a slow inflammatory process in the prostate.
Usually asymptomatic, the disease in patients is usually only detected during a medical examination, which is why every man is recommended to regularly visit a specialist in urological diseases. However, the so-called "hidden" stage of chronic prostatitis can turn into an acute phase after a man has suffered stress, an inflammatory disease, as a result of hypothermia, a violation of the order of intimate life, etc. In this case, such symptoms should serve as a signal of the need for an urgent visit to the doctor:
- increased sweating, which is particularly manifested in the perineal area;
- itching or discomfort in the groin area;
- frequent urge to urinate, painful urination, urinary retention;
- Secretion of prostatic fluid through the external opening of the urethra after urination or defecation;
- a slight increase (up to 37. 5) in body temperature; weakness, sleep disturbances and ability to work;
- sexual dysfunction (unstable or weak erection, decreased libido, rapid ejaculation, orgasmic dysfunction, pelvic pain during ejaculation, etc. );
- Pain of varying severity and intensity in the perineum, lumbosacral area, external genitals
Taken together, these symptoms of chronic prostatitis can lead to disorders of the nervous system, characterized by neurotic states, with the patient's attention being focused on his well-being.
Possible consequences of chronic prostatitis without treatment
Unlike acute, chronic prostatitis is characterized by an alternation of wave-like, periodic exacerbations with relatively long remissions, during which a man can feel perfectly healthy. It is not the patient's call to a specialist that causes the further development of the inflammatory process.
With the spread of inflammation in the genitourinary system, complications in the form of cystitis or pyelonephritis with possible transformation into urolithiasis are likely. But the most common consequence of advanced chronic prostatitis is vesiculitis (inflammatory disease of the seminal vesicles) or epididymitis (inflammation of the testicles). Both diseases can lead to difficult-to-treat infertility and sometimes irreversible damage to male reproductive function.
One of the most serious consequences of chronic prostatitis is scarring of the prostate tissue with wrinkling of the organ. This process often extends to the back of the urethra and bladder, causing a persistent violation of the outflow of urine.
The situation is greatly aggravated by the combination of the disease with prostate adenoma, which is most common in men over the age of 50. The adenoma violates the outflow from the prostate and provokes the progression of chronic prostatitis. Therefore, if the patient is shown the surgical removal of a benign tumor, it must be preceded by prostatitis treatment.
Diagnosis, methods and prospects for the treatment of the disease
The first appointment with the doctor is to collect information about the main symptoms of the disease, followed by a general examination, a digital rectal examination and taking a secret from the patient's prostate. Another diagnostic measure for an exact diagnosis is a transrectal ultrasound examination.
Before starting therapy for a patient with chronic prostatitis, it is necessary to conduct a urine analysis for the culture and conduct a study of the prostatic secretion for the sensitivity of the flora to antibacterial drugs in order to optimize the method of treatment.
Modern medicine practices the following methods of treating chronic prostatitis, traditionally used in combination:
- antibiotic therapy. The use of antibacterial drugs is necessary to eliminate the pathogenic bacterial flora that causes foci of inflammation. The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the correct choice of drugs, because if during therapy all microorganisms are not destroyed, then sooner or later the disease will make itself felt again. For this reason, the course of antibiotics should be completed by the patient completely, without interruptions in admissions or other violations of medical recommendations.
- Physical therapy. Prostate massage is one of the most effective treatment components in the complex of such procedures. The essence of prostate massage is as follows: the effect on the gland contributes to the fact that the inflammatory secret accumulated in it is excreted into the ducts and further into the urethra. As a result, the quality of blood flow in the prostate improves, which enhances the effect of the antibacterial drugs taken by the patient. In addition to prostate massage, a patient who has been diagnosed with "chronic prostatitis" may be prescribed treatment with a laser, ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic exposure to the inflamed area.
- immune correction. A long-term inflammatory process such asB. chronic prostatitis, as well as independent or incorrectly prescribed antibiotics in the past can contribute to a significant reduction in the patient's immunity. The purpose of immune correction is to restore the body's protective functions as much as possible. This will be facilitated by normalizing lifestyle and visiting an immunologist.
Although not every case of chronic prostatitis can lead to a full recovery of the patient due to various forms of its complexity, the patient's strict adherence to medical recommendations guarantees him long-term, and possibly lifelong, remission of the disease.
How to avoid an unpleasant diagnosis?
To prevent chronic prostatitis, a few basic rules should be followed:
- Change your lifestyle to a more active one. If there is no opportunity to play sports, do a daily warm-up or gymnastic exercises.
- Avoid hypothermia. Do not sit on flagstones, metal curbs, etc.
- If constipated, use laxatives, and if constipation becomes chronic, see a doctor.
- Try to normalize your sex life. Excessive sexual activity, as well as long abstinence, negatively affects the condition and functions of the prostate.
- Do not practice casual sex, otherwise you will prefer protected sex.
- At the first suspicion of a sexually transmitted disease, immediately consult a specialist, do not self-medicate.
- Visit a urologist at least once a year to eliminate the possibility of a developing disease.
Take care of your male health and a diagnosis of "chronic prostatitis" will never get in your way!