Prostatitis refers to an all-male pathology of the urinary and reproductive systems. The disease can be acute or chronic and manifest itself differently in each patient. Today it is a common disease of the genitourinary system. At the moment, the disease has become much younger and is already occurring in men over the age of 25. In this article we will look at how prostatitis manifests itself and how it is treated.
Required information
The type of prostate dysfunction depends on a certain stage of sexual development in men:
- Damage to the prostate is possible in young men. However, due to the undeveloped gland, such a disease is not considered an independent disease.
- Men with a violent sex life are more likely to suffer from prostatitis in the form of an acute inflammatory process.
- Prostate disease in adult men manifests itself in the form of one of three diseases: benign and malignant tumors, chronic prostatitis.
People who have had any type of reproductive organ harvesting performed have no prostate function.
The prostate is an accessory gland of the reproductive system in the strong half. It is located at the intersection of the urinary tract and the ejaculation tunnel. The importance of the prostate in adolescent men before puberty has resisted research. In an adult, the prostate is responsible for:
- the formation of a secretion that makes the seminal fluid less viscous and enables the sperm to survive on the way to the egg cell;
- Formation of prostaglandin in the body. It is a component that is responsible for increasing blood flow to the genitals before an erection is formed. It also promotes the production of the hormone testosterone;
- is responsible for the high rate of sperm release during ejaculation and also participates in the appearance of the last moment of intercourse, which is associated with the climax of intimate pleasure.
- with the help of reflexes does not allow the penetration of urine into the semen during intimate relationships.
The prostate is a poorly protected organ for pathogenic microbes. It directly depends on the pathological conditions of the pelvic organs. A large flow of blood and lymph moving through the vessels of the damaged prostate leads to the phenomenon of stagnation and edema, as a result of which inflammation is exacerbated. The gland contains a large number of nerve fibers, so the pathology is manifested in pain.
Prostatitis is inflammatory damage to the prostate. The most common cause of this disease is pelvic infections. However, the trapped infection itself cannot cause inflammation, which requires the presence of predisposing factors. This category includes:
- measured lifestyle (people with sedentary work are at risk);
- regular stool retention;
- numerous hypothermia;
- overly active intimacy and long periods of abstinence;
The prostate is a small organ and weighs about 20-25 grams. However, the secret of the gland can adversely affect microbes. Therefore, during stagnation, inflammation of the prostate occurs, and the secret loses its bactericidal properties.
Manifestations of prostatitis
There are two stages of the disease:
The acute form manifests itself in the strongest inflammation of the prostate. The patient has a fever up to 39 degrees, there is pain in the groin area and when passing feces and urine through the body. These are the first characteristic symptoms of prostatitis.
In a chronic course, these symptoms are smoothed, so many men do not pay attention to the characteristic manifestations of the disease. The patient may experience a rise in temperature of up to 37 degrees and painful sensations during deurination and defecation. However, the main symptom of chronic prostatitis is the release of a small amount of mucous or purulent contents from the urethra.
Predisposing factors
There are 6 first symptoms of prostatitis - this is a failure of the de-urination process due to a complicated expulsion of urine from the bladder when the urethra is compressed by the enlarged prostate (dysuria syndrome):
- Excretion of urine drop by drop;
- painful sensations;
- Urine flow without pressure and not more than 20 cm;
- jet discontinuity;
- frequent detoxification at night;
- Sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder.
Important! It is forbidden to diagnose prostatitis if these symptoms are detected without a thorough examination. This disease has a very complex process of formation and development, which includes various mechanisms.
Do not treat a disease solely on the basis of clinical manifestations. You should immediately contact a specialist for an accurate diagnosis and prescription of therapeutic measures. Diagnosis and therapy are prescribed taking into account the organs and systems affected by the disease. In some cases, you need to consult other specialists.
Signs of illness
Prostatitis can manifest itself as an acute form of the inflammatory process and chronic. The acute course is characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane, follicle, and parenchyma. However, they should not be confused with symptoms of prostate adenoma. And chronic - manifests itself with accompanying discomfort.
Symptoms of prostatitis in men, identified through clinical and functional examinations:
- Frequent urination
A normal man can have the urge to deurinate up to 12 times a day, usually 5 times. The volume of urine of a healthy patient per day is 1 to 2 liters. The desire for detoxification in a healthy man arises when the bladder is filled with a volume of 120-170 ml. A build-up of urine over 350 ml creates the strongest urge to urinate.
During the inflammatory process, the walls of the bladder are systematically irritated and the decay becomes:
- not unusual while the amount of urine is within normal limits;
- in small quantities: products of the inflammatory process irritate the bladder receptors, and there are false desires for depletion, the feeling of a full bladder, after emptying there remains a feeling of its fullness;
- painful due to a narrowing of the urethra;
- difficult due to the compression of the urethra by the gland, which sometimes manifests itself in the inability to empty the bladder when it is overfilled;
- often at night;
- temperature.
Usually the temperature rises from 37 to 38 degrees. At the initial stage of sepsis with purulent inflammation of the gland, the temperature rises above 39 degrees. In the last stage of septic shock, on the contrary, the temperature drops to 35 degrees. Low temperatures represent a danger to human life due to blood platelet coagulation disorders. The result in prostatitis with sepsis complications is unfavorable.
- Blood in the urine
This is quite rare, but a dangerous sign of the progression of the disease. Constant bleeding can hardly be stopped. There are several reasons for developing hematuria:
- with perforation of the vessel into the urethra;
- trauma during research;
- malignant hyperplasia;
- pain.
Inflammation of the prostate with an associated complication is associated with constant pain. It can rarely be intermittent. Most often the pain is inherently dull or painful and manifests itself in the perineum and anus.
Laboratory methods
Appointed to clarify the stage of the disease:
- blood test. With the prostate, an increased leukocyte content, an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a shift in the leukocyte formula in the direction of prick cells are noted;
- urinalysis. Determines the purulent content in the urine and the presence of bacteria. A study is carried out with 3 glasses: at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the descaling, 3 portions of urine are taken. Numerous urine tests at intervals of several days show a change in the bacterial flora;
- Bacteriological blood culture. It is prescribed for the development of blood poisoning with a daily temperature fluctuation of 3-5 degrees.
Instrumental research
- Ultrasound through the rectum. Clarifying the diagnosis is the most informative method. This study has contraindications.
- X-ray method. A contrast agent is injected into the bladder before the examination.
- The removal of a piece of tissue for microscopic examination is used for limited indications.
Reasons for prostatitis
Experts identify different classifications as to why a man could have prostatitis:
- complication of symptoms of diseases that previously affected a person or negative effects of gynecological diseases in a partner;
- urethral reflex. Prostate dysfunction is fraught with an inability to stop the return of urine. When this fluid reaches the genital canals, it is called a urethral reflex. Subsequently, a bacterial seed of the gland is formed. This disease is a result of inflammation of the urethra or improper insertion of the catheter. There is also an expansion of the lumen of the urethral canal;
- an unusual way of intimate life. If a man has a significant increase or decrease in the number of sexual relationships, it can contribute to the development of prostatitis. Constant delays in ejaculation are also a concern.
- Stopper of venous blood in the genitals in the pelvic area. This happens in the absence of a sufficient number of active movements, sports;
- hormonal disorders caused by a low production of hormones in the gonads. Due to this pathology, there is general malaise of the skeletal and smooth muscles and other ailments.
Types of prostatitis
There are two areas of this disease: bacterial and non-bacterial.
The first type is characterized in that the disease is caused by the presence of pathogenic microbes that have entered the body from the external environment. Staphylococci, streptococci, Escherichia coli and many others fall into the category of harmful microorganisms. In addition, this classification of prostatitis includes cases where the disease is caused by a sex-transmitted disease.
There are several subdivisions for the second, non-bacterial species:
- Congestive prostatitis. In this case, the disease of the gland is caused by a feature of congestion in the pelvic area. This outcome is usually caused by incomplete ejaculation, an excessive number of acts of intimacy, long periods of abstinence, and incomplete sexual intercourse.
- Sclerotic prostatitis. It is characterized by a decrease in the size and function of the prostate. There is a thickening of the tissue membrane due to the death of prostate cells and their degeneration into hard connective tissue. The reasons for this type are frequent defecation disorders in the form of a difficult, slow bowel movement, the use of certain medications and numerous infections. This type of prostate inflammation is incurable.
- Calcareous prostatitis. With this type of inflammation, the presence of stones in the gland is revealed. After they grow to a large size, they cause severe pain in the urethra. Therapy consists of the removal of stones through surgical or therapeutic methods.
- prostatodynia. It is characterized by the presence of constant pelvic pain, the causes of which have not been studied. Presumably it can be caused by the backflow of secretions, a disease of the bladder neck, damage to the muscle tissue between the anus and genital organs, and a psychological factor is also possible.
- Atypical prostatitis. The patient may complain of pain in the lower extremities, lumbar spine, and sacrum that is absent in typical forms of prostatitis. The outcome of the therapy is directly related to the duration of the course of the disease, the presence of complications and the severity of the inflammatory process.
If treatment is started at the wrong time or if prostatitis is repeatedly exacerbated, the inflammation becomes severe, which is fraught with serious complications: decreased potency, inability to conceive a child, depressive states, severe pain, prostate adenomain men.
Complications
Everything directly depends on age, immunity, bad habits and the timeliness of treatment. In older people with a weakened immune system, which is made more difficult by excessive consumption of products containing alcohol, the consequences are very serious.
Effect on potency. The damaged gland lowers the production of hormones that are responsible for starting an erection. Complications are the lack of fullness of sensation during intimacy, poor discharge of seminal fluid, signs of prostate adenoma in men and impotence.
Influence on the conception of a child. An inflamed prostate significantly reduces the production of normal secretions that are necessary for the activity of sperm in the female reproductive system for fertilization. The secret that gets into the girl's birth canal during intimacy is subject to immune rejection, which leads to the fact that fertilization of the egg is impossible.
Other complications. As prostatitis worsens, the risk of accumulation of pus in the tissues of the gland increases. Pain with prostatitis increases. If there is secondary infection, the epithelium melts, followed by the appearance of a capsule near inflammation. The consequences also include an acute form of urinary retention, urolithiasis, the appearance of prostate adenoma in men and others.
Intimacy with inflammation
It has already been proven that the main causes of prostatitis are the lack of sexual relationships with increased excitability or excessive sexual activity. Regular ejaculation with normal frequency is beneficial in the early stages of prostatitis. In some procedures and stages of the disease, it is temporarily forbidden to engage in intimacy. You will receive detailed information in consultation with a specialist.
Important! During the treatment of prostatitis, you can make love, but only with safety and moderation in the relationship, unless the doctor instructs otherwise.
Prostatitis is an all male disease. However, inflammation of the gland poses a health risk to the partner. It poses a threat to conception and birth of an unborn child. A healthy lifestyle and effective contraception are effective ways to protect partners from complications.
Prostatitis treatment
It is possible to fully recover and stop the further development of the disease only by timely referral to a specialist. In this case, you will get a positive result. If irreversible changes appear, then it is impossible to completely get rid of the disease. Typically, there is repeated inflammation with a transition to a chronic type.
In addition to drug treatment, an important point is whether the patient is willing to change their lifestyle (e. g. irregular intimate relationships or a sedentary lifestyle). If the patient does not want to change his usual way of life, the disease will soon make itself felt again. Especially with the fact that the patient does not want to change these negative factors and the concept is connected with the fact that prostatitis cannot be treated.
Treatment options: the period is prescribed by a specialist after a full examination and determination of the cause of the occurrence. Antibiotics are the main drug used during treatment. Vitamins, physical therapy, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory drugs are also recommended. The worsening of prostatitis takes longer.
Diet
With the right diet and the use of certain foods, you can achieve the following:
- relieves pain;
- Improvement of the movement of blood and lymph in the vessels of the prostate;
- Strengthening the immune system;
- normalization of bowel function;
- Reduction of urine production at night.
The following foods should be excluded from the diet:
- Coffee and spicy food - increase blood flow to the prostate, increase pain.
- Fats, fatty meat, eggs, flour products - increase the formation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels and reduce the movement of blood flow.
- Alcoholic products - weaken the body's immune system.
- Foods with coarse fiber and salted - violate the undulating contractions of the intestinal walls.
- Excessive fluid intake (especially in the evening) - increases the amount of fluid in the body, which leads to swelling.
Recommended foods: fresh vegetable salads with olive oil, fruits, cooked lean meat, vegetables, juices, and nuts.
Prevention
Recommended:
- Walk promenade with a broad stride (physiological walking);
- rational nutrition;
- healthy lifestyle;
- Use of male contraceptives;
- moderate intimacy and more.
Conclusion
You do not have to wait for symptoms to appear, but you must consult a doctor once a year for preventive purposes. Treatment for secondary exacerbation of prostatitis is much more difficult and longer-lasting, and has its own complications.
In this article we learned how inflammation of the prostate manifests itself and the pain associated with prostatitis and how this disease can be treated.