Prostatitis (prostatitis) is a very painful condition. But often prostatitis is not limited to pain but also causes more serious symptoms. Which? How long does prostatitis usually last? And what helps from it?
What is prostatic disease?
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate (prostate gland). For example, the prostate can become inflamed because bacteria can enter the prostate tissue from the urinary tract. Depending on whether the cause of prostatitis is bacterial or not, people distinguish the following types of prostatitis:
- bacteria;
- Bacterial prostatitis.
The prostate is a 4 cm sized gland, in men located below the bladder. This is one of the internal reproductive organs that produces secretions that mix with sperm during ejaculation. This secretion provides sperm motility and aids on their way to the female egg.
The prostate in men can become inflamed due to inflammation of the bladder or urethra (urethra), and the inflammatory agent can be bacteria that move from the bladder or urethra to the prostate. In this case we talk about acute prostatitis. In most cases, infections can be controlled with antibiotics.
In about 5 out of 100 patients, bacteria persist in the prostate despite treatment, leaving the inflammation unchanged. Diagnosis of chronic prostatitis.
Bacteria are not always the cause of prostatitis
In addition to bacteria, there are other factors that can cause prostatitis, such as central nervous system (CNS) disorders, mental problems, stress, and chronic inflammation of the bladder wall. Because prostatitis in this case occursnot caused by bacteria, he was calledBacterial prostatitis.
Sometimes bacterial prostatitis is called one form of chronic pelvic pain syndrome (abbreviated CPPS). However, this pain syndrome can also develop without prostatitis. In addition to inflammation, there are also non-inflammatory forms of chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
Note:In noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome, symptoms are similar to prostatitis, but neither bacteria nor signs of inflammation are found.
However, in the official classificationprostatitisThe US National Institutes of Health lists both inflammatory and non-inflammatory forms of the syndromechronicpelvic pain.
According to many, this introducesmany doctorsmisleading and in the worst case can lead to inappropriate treatment. Unlike prostatitis, noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome does not respond to antibiotic therapy.
Causes of prostatitis
There are several factors that contribute to prostatitis. The most important thing is:
- recurrent urinary tract infections;
- bladder catheterization;
- surgery in the urogenital area;
- unprotected anal sex.
In these and other cases, bacteria can easily enter the urinary tract and cause prostatitis. If bacteria enter the prostate, it can lead to bacterial prostatitis.
Bacterial prostatitis can have more diverse causes. Let's take a closer look at the causes of both types of prostatitis.
Bacterial prostatitis
Most bacterial prostatitis is caused by intestinal bacteria such as Escherichia coli or enterococci. If they enter the urinary tract through the opening of the penis, they first cause infection of the urethra or bladder, and then the pathogens enter the prostate, causing prostatitis.
Men with prostatitis who come to the hospital are often infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They enter the urinary tract after bladder catheterization.
In rare cases, prostatitis occurs due to sexually transmitted diseases. In this case, the main causative agent is chlamydia.
Bacterial prostatitis
In bacterial prostatitis (a form of chronic pelvic pain syndrome), any bacteria can be the culprit. However, after testing, leukocytes (white blood cells that protect the body) were found in the prostate and sperm. This shows that the body is fighting inflammation.
The cause of this inflammatory condition is not yet fully understood and researched by experts. This may be the result of the combined impact of many different factors. The following factors may play a role:
- impaired immune response;
- central nervous system disorder that affects the nerves and muscles of the genitourinary system and prevents a person from urinating normally;
- mental disorders such as stress, anxiety or depression.
Some experts believe that an underlying infection may be the cause of chronic pelvic pain syndrome. However, this assumption is controversial.
Typical symptoms of prostatitis
Typical symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis are:
- frequent urination;
- burning when urinating (usually accompanied by a small amount of urine);
- pain in the bladder and perineum;
- pain during bowel movements;
- nausea and vomiting;
- fever and chills.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis also causes pain and difficulty urinating. However, these symptoms disappear immediately and appear after a while. Chronic prostatitis is characterized by a relapsing course with the inflammation fading and reappearing. It can last for many months.
Another characteristic sign of chronic prostate inflammation is erectile dysfunction.
Bacterial prostatitis, which is not caused by bacteria, causes essentially the same symptoms as chronic bacterial prostatitis. In addition, victims sometimes complain of pain during ejaculation.
Special case: asymptomatic prostatitis
In rare cases, a doctor may detect an increased number of white blood cells in the ejaculate or prostate secretions, but the affected person may not feel pain or other symptoms of prostatitis. prostate.
Such cases are classified as asymptomatic prostatitis and are often discovered incidentally during cancer or infertility screening.
Diagnose
A doctor can diagnose acute bacterial prostatitis by asking the patient about symptoms and examining the prostate. First, the doctor feels the prostate with his fingers. If during palpation you feel warmth and swelling in the prostate area and the patient feels pain, this indicates acute bacterial inflammation.
To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor may also do a urine test and draw the patient's blood to check the level of inflammatory cells.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis cannot be diagnosed by palpation alone. For example, if the patient is between two episodes of inflammation, the doctor will not be able to detect severe swelling on palpation. Therefore, blood and urine tests are necessary to diagnose chronic bacterial prostatitis.
To detect chronic prostatitis, a urine sample is not enough. Because if urine contains white blood cells and bacteria, this can also be a sign of urinary tract infection. To find out whether inflammation is affecting the prostate, your doctor will need to test several urine samples.
Treatment of prostatitis
Which treatment will help treat prostatitis depends on the cause: if the inflammation is caused by bacteria, the treatment will be different from that for bacterial prostatitis. However, in both cases, your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs (also called anti-inflammatory drugs).
Treatment of bacterial prostatitis
For bacterial prostatitis, antibiotics will help eliminate symptoms.
- In case of mild acute prostatitis, the doctor must prescribe Fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which the patient must use for 10 days.
- If the inflammation is severe, the doctor may give the patient broad-spectrum antibiotics.
- If it is chronic inflammation, patients usually take fluoroquinolone for 4-6 weeks.
Treatment of bacterial prostatitis
Doctors often try to control nonbacterial prostatitis using a combination of different medications. For example, in addition to anti-inflammatory drugs, they may also prescribe medications calledalpha-1 receptor blockers. They relax the prostate and bladder muscles, thereby promoting bladder emptying.
Depending on your doctor's suspicion of the cause of the inflammation, additional measures may be needed. For example, it has been suggested that psychological issues may also play a role in the development of nonbacterial prostatitis. In this case, your doctor may recommend psychotherapy.
Additionally, heat treatments such as baths can often be used to relieve symptoms.
Treat prostatitis with folk remedies
Folk remedies for prostatitis are effective alternatives to drug treatment. Used for bacterial prostatitis. Before using folk remedies, consult your doctor.
fire grass
Fireweed has proven to be an excellent remedy for prostate diseases.
Fireweed is a perennial herbaceous plant. It has small flowers, usually white, but they also come in various shades of red.
Fire grass seeds are small, with fluff on the surface, thanks to which they spread.
There are about 200 species of fireweed. This plant is often considered a weed and can be very poisonous, but beneficial effects have only been demonstrated in fireweed. Flowers and roots are used. The content of biologically active substances (myricetin, kaempferol, quercetin, lectin and sitosterol) has a positive effect on prostate activity.
Using fire grass:
Pour 1 teaspoon of herbs into 1/4 liter of water, boil and let stand for a short time (15 minutes). You should drink it in sips throughout the day (maximum 2 cups) to cool down.
This medicinal plant is used for various urinary diseases, in particular:
- for all prostate diseases, including prostate cancer;
- for kidney disease;
- for bladder diseases;
- for bladder cancer;
- to heal wounds.
Fireweed is effective against inflammation of the urinary tract, as a rule, it is combined with other herbs, depending on the nature of the problem, most often with cranberry, goldenrod, horsetail or birch.
Green tea
Medicine in the form of green tea is perhaps the most pleasant way to treat prostatitis.
You should drink 3 cups of green tea every day.
This drink promotes frequent urination, which helps cleanse the entire body. In addition, green tea also directly participates in detoxifying the body.
Advice!Men are advised to urinate while sitting. In this way, the bladder will be completely emptied. The sitting position will completely release all pelvic muscles, so there is no urine left in the bladder, otherwise some pathogenic bacteria will multiply rapidly.
nettle
2 handfuls of freshly picked nettle leaves - about 15 cm from the top of the plant - should be mixed with 300 ml of drinking water and left to infuse overnight (about 12 hours). In the morning, the infusion should be slightly warmed and drunk.
Cranberry tree
Cranberry is one of the famous fighters against prostatitis. Home treatment with cranberries involves consuming it in dried, fresh or canned form. However, in the latter case, you should be careful with added sugar.
Cranberry juice is also available in stores. You should also be careful here and read the label carefully to make sure the juice doesn't contain added juice from other fruits or artificial sweeteners.
Only 100% cranberry juice has medicinal effects.
Add dried cranberries to porridge or oatmeal.
Cranberries are not suitable for whom:
Cranberries are contraindicated for people taking blood thinners. Cranberry may reduce the antiplatelet effects of the drug, leading to bleeding.
ginger
When treating prostatitis, you can pay attention to another useful product - ginger root. Ginger is a promising product to treat this disease. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, interrupts the reproductive cycle of cancer cells (especially important in prostate cancer treatment) and promotes apoptosis. Additionally, ginger is not toxic to other rapidly growing cells.
It should be taken after meals, adding the roots to tea (preferably green tea).
Pumpkin seeds
In fact, the most effective treatment for prostatitis is to use fresh pumpkin seeds instead of dried pumpkin seeds.
Preparation:Pumpkin seeds should be crushed. The resulting mass is mixed with honey in equal proportions and gently heated. Then you need to leave it in the refrigerator for several hours, after which you need to form balls the size of a walnut.
The balls are taken before meals, 1-2 times a day, daily.
To prevent disease, you can eat 4-5 pumpkin seeds per day. They contain zinc, selenium and other biochemicals that reduce inflammation in the body, including the prostate, and have a positive effect on the formation of the male hormone testosterone.
chestnut
Chestnut also has good effects and has no side effects, which is very important for older people.
Chestnuts should be peeled, crushed into small pieces, poured with boiling water and incubated for an hour.
The decoction should be taken 3 times a day before meals, 30 drops.
have sex regularly
Regular sex, like masturbation, cleans the prostate, promotes blood circulation and prevents local inflammation.
Prognosis: time and progression of prostatitis
Acute prostatitis usually responds well to treatment. If the patient takes antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor, the pain and fever usually go away within 36 hours. After a few days, symptoms will decrease significantly.
Chronic prostatitis lasts several months and often occurs in recurring episodes, during which the patient experiences little or no discomfort. Chronic prostatitis is often more persistent than acute prostatitis: antibiotic therapy usually lasts several weeks.
Can prostatitis be prevented?
Early treatment of urinary tract infections can prevent germs from spreading to the prostate and thus prevent prostatitis. Using condoms can also help prevent prostatitis caused by some sexually transmitted diseases.