Prostatitis in men

Prostatitis in men belongs to the group of male urological diseases (only for men).The disease occurs in the form of acute or chronic inflammation.This is the most common urinary disease today.Previously, it was thought that the disease only manifested itself at the age of 45-65, but now doctors are increasingly diagnosing prostatitis in young people aged 20-30 years.The disease has become significantly younger.

The nature of prostate damage depends on each person's sexual habits.

1. Theoretically, the prostate can be affected in boys before puberty, but inflammation of the immature gland is not considered an independent disease.
2. In sexually active men, prostatitis often occurs as acute inflammation.
3. Pathology of the gland, in adults and the elderly, can manifest as three independent diseases (chronic prostatitis, adenoma - benign hyperplasia, adenocarcinoma - malignant hyperplasia).
4. In people who have undergone castration (chemical, physical, radiological), this gland atrophies.

The prostate (prostate) is an accessory gland of the male reproductive organs.It is located at the junction of the urethra and the ejaculatory duct.The importance of this gland before puberty is little studied.In an adult man, the prostate:

• secretes sperm diluting substances, ensuring sperm survival in the female genital tract;
• produce prostaglandin, a substance that promotes increased blood supply to the genitals before erection begins, and together with the testicles, participates in the production of the hormone testosterone;
• ensures rapid evacuation (release) of sperm from the urethra and participates in the formation of orgasm;
• Through a reflex mechanism, it prevents urine from entering sperm during sexual excitement and participates in the complex mechanism of erection.

The prostate is an organ that is vulnerable to pathogens.It is definitely associated with pathology of the urethral wall, bladder and vas deferens.A powerful flow of blood and lymph circulating through the branched vascular system of the damaged gland causes stagnation, swelling of the organ and aggravation of the pathology.The gland is well located, damage is accompanied by pain.

Things men should know about prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammatory disease of the prostate (prostate), usually caused by infectious agents entering the prostate from the urethra, bladder and nearby rectum.However, infection by itself does not mean the disease will develop;for this, as they say, a “favorable combination of circumstances” is required.

What factors lead to the appearance of prostatitis:

1. Sedentary work and sedentary lifestyle.The risk group includes drivers, programmers and anyone who spends the entire work day without getting up from their chair to walk and warm up.
2. Bowel dysfunction frequently takes the form of constipation.
3. Severe or repeated hypothermia of the whole body.
4. Excessively active sex life or prolonged abstinence.Both are not helpful for the normal functioning of the prostate.
5. Overeating, abusing spicy foods and alcohol, often stressed.

The prostate is a very small organ, 3 cm long and 4 cm wide.It weighs only 20-25 grams.However, prostatic secretions have bactericidal properties, therefore the inflammatory process in the gland can develop only when this organ is stagnant, when its secretions lose their properties.

How does prostatitis in men manifest?

There are chronic and acute forms of prostatitis:

• Symptoms of acute prostatitis are characterized by severe inflammation in the prostate area.In this case, the patient has high fever (body temperature increases to 38-39 degrees), pain in the groin and perineum, painful urination and defecation.
• Chronic prostatitis causes a man to worry less, so he may not immediately pay attention to the characteristic signs of the disease.The patient's body temperature occasionally increased to 37 degrees, sometimes he felt uncomfortable when going to the toilet, and there was some mucus or pus coming out of the urethra.Such discharge is one of the typical signs of chronic prostatitis.

Signs of prostatitis in men

There are six signs (precursors) of prostatitis - dysuria syndrome.Use as a clinical sign is conditional.However, the presence of two of the six symptoms is reason to contact a urologist.

1. The urine stream is slow or its distance is less than 20 cm.
2. Difficulty, drop by drop, urinating.
3. Pain when urinating.
4. Discontinuous, branching, jetting, process duration.
5. Feeling like the bladder is not completely emptied.
6. Frequent urination at night.

It is strictly forbidden to make clinical conclusions when identifying these signs.Prostatitis has a complex pathogenesis, involving many different mechanisms.You cannot treat the disease based on general clinical symptoms.Contact your urologist to determine symptoms, nature of injury, stage of disease, and prescribe treatment.Diagnosis and treatment are carried out taking into account the organs and systems involved in pathogenesis.In some cases, consultation with a phlebologist, surgeon or oncologist is required.

Symptoms of prostatitis in men

Prostatitis can occur in acute and chronic inflammatory forms.Acute forms develop according to the type of catarrhal, follicular, parenchymal inflammation.Manifestations of chronic prostatitis are related to accompanying diseases.

Symptoms of prostatitis, detected by clinical methods and functional tests.The following symptoms are of the greatest importance to recognize the nature of the pathology, its causes and the body's defense reaction mechanism.

• Frequent urination with prostatitis.In healthy people, the maximum number of urination times does not exceed 10-12 times a day, usually 4-5 times.Daily urine output in healthy adults is 1000-2000 ml.Urine volume when nausea appears is 120-170 ml;Accumulated urine volume of over 350 ml causes a strong urge to urinate.Prostatitis products constantly stimulate the receptors of the walls of the urinary organs, leading to urination:
• Frequent urination (pollakiuria), while the daily urine output does not increase;
• Urinating in small portions, inflammatory products send false signals to the receptors about the bladder being half full and empty, and after urinating there is still a feeling of fullness;
• Painful urination (dysuria), due to narrowing of the urethra due to inflammation of the prostate;
• Difficulty urinating due to inflamed glands compressing the urethra, sometimes prostatitis is accompanied by an inability to empty the bladder (anemia);
• When urinating at night (nocturia), the bladder wall is irritated, sending out signals continuously to produce urine.
• Temperature with prostatitis.An increase in body temperature to levels below fever and fever is typical.High temperature accompanies purulent prostatitis in the early stages of septic shock.In contrast, in the late stages of septic shock, low temperatures (hypothermia) up to 35-36°C are characteristic.Low temperatures are dangerous for humans because platelets tend to disseminate intravascular coagulation (DIC syndrome).The prognosis of prostatitis complicated by sepsis in the presence of DIC syndrome is cautious or unfavorable.
• Blood in urine with prostatitis.Hematuria (blood in urine) is a rare but very dangerous sign.Persistent bleeding is difficult to stop.There are several causes of hematuria accompanying prostatitis, including:
• purulent dissolution of the gland with part of the blood vessels and perforation of the blood vessels into the urethra;
• accidental injury when examining genital equipment;
• Prostatitis, complicated by hyperplasia, often takes a malignant form.
• Pain syndrome.Complicated prostatitis is accompanied by pain during urination.Sometimes the pain occurs periodically, such as during bowel movements.The cause of pain is the gland's constant irritation by inflammatory products.Dull pain (pain) in the perineum and anus is often noted.

Laboratory tests confirm symptoms of prostatitis.Used to clarify the presence of inflammation, determine the severity of the inflammatory process and infection.

• General blood test.Confirming signs of prostatitis are: increased white blood cell count, change in white blood cells towards an increased number of banded blood cells, increased ESR.
• Urine analysis.Detection of pyuria (pus in the urine) and bacteriuria (bacterial infection) in the first part of the urine.Use the three-cup method to identify pus and bacteria hiding at the beginning, middle, or end of urination.Repeated bacterial testing of urine, several days apart, is performed to determine changes in bacterial species.
• Blood culture tank.This method is indicated for symptoms of progressive sepsis accompanied by debilitating fever.
• The study of cellular immune relationships in prostatitis adds to the understanding of the nature of pathogenesis and predicts the likelihood of developing sepsis.

Specific methods are used to clarify the symptoms of prostatitis.The following methods have diagnostic value.

• Transrectal (transrectal) ultrasound examination (TRUS).Its high diagnostic value is noted.This method has contraindications associated with the prohibition of gland massage at certain stages of the disease.
• Bladder X-ray.Choose views that are convenient for prostate examination.Before imaging, urografin, a contrast agent that is inert to the body, is injected into the bladder.
• Prostate aspiration biopsy has strictly limited indications for prostatitis.

Causes of prostatitis in men

There are several groups of causes of prostatitis, including:

1. Complications of past diseases in men (PPP infection, colds in the pelvic organs, complicated by staphylococcal or other bacterial, viral, fungal infections, especially due to a decrease in immunity and general resistance of the body), chronic gynecological infections in women - sexual partners.
2. Urethral reflux.Disruption in the prostate's ability to prevent urine from flowing back into the genital tract is called urethral reflux.As a result, bacterial contamination of the prostate occurs.Urethral reflux is a consequence of improper catheter placement, as well as previous urethritis.In this case, urinary leakage occurs - a pathological increase in the lumen of the urethra.Urethral-vesical reflux, infection associated with stone formation in the prostate and ejaculatory ducts.
3. Sexual rhythm disturbances, including lack or excessive sexual intercourse, and frequent delayed ejaculation.
4. Stagnation of venous blood in the small pelvic genital organs of men is a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle (hemorrhoids, sexual dysfunction, other reasons);
5. Hormonal imbalance involves insufficient production of male hormones by the gonads, leading to general weakening of skeletal and smooth muscle tone, impaired erectile function, and other disorders.

Classification of prostatitis

There are bacterial and non-bacterial prostatitis:

1. Bacterial prostatitis is caused by pathogenic microorganisms entering the prostate from the outside.These include streptococci, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, Proteus and others.Many bacteria are normal flora of our body, but under certain conditions they enter the prostate and cause an inflammatory process.Prostatitis can also develop due to sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, ureaplasmosis, gardnerellosis, trichomonas, gonorrhea, mycoplasmosis.
2. The group of noninfectious prostatitis includes:
• Congestive (stagnant) prostatitis.The cause is a blockage in the pelvic area.Incomplete ejaculation, excessive sexual intercourse, prolonged abstinence, interrupted sexual intercourse - all this contributes to venous stagnation in the pelvic organs.
• Sclerosing prostatitis.It is characterized by a decrease in the size and function of the prostate, compaction of its tissues due to the death of prostate cells and their replacement by sclerotic tissue.One of the reasons for the development of this form of the disease is frequent constipation, taking certain medications and repeated infections.Unfortunately, such prostatitis cannot be treated.
• Calculating prostatitis.The result of the development of stone prostatitis is the presence of phosphate and oxalate stones in the gland.Reaching large sizes, they cause sharp pain in the urethra.The treatment involves dissolving the stones that form.
• Prostatitis of the prostate.This disease causes chronic pelvic pain, but its cause is not fully understood.It is believed that it can be provoked by backflow of secretions, damage to the pelvic floor muscles, pathology of the bladder neck and psychological factors.
• Atypical forms.In the atypical form, the patient may complain of pain in the legs, lower back, and sacrum, which is unusual for the characteristic symptoms of prostatitis.The results of treatment depend on the duration of the disease, the activity of inflammatory processes and the presence of additional complications.

If prostatitis is not treated, then in its advanced form it leads to decreased potency, infertility, depression, debilitating pain in the perineum and other complications.

How dangerous is prostatitis, what are the consequences of prostatitis?

The consequences depend on age, the state of the immune system and the presence of bad habits.Therefore, in older people, with weakened immunity, a history of alcoholism, drug addiction, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the consequences of the disease are more severe.

• Effects of prostatitis on potency.A damaged gland decompensates its function, reducing the production of substances involved in the formation of an erection in the male genital organ.The consequences of prostatitis are slow secretion of semen during sex, reduced feeling of fullness during sex and, in severe forms, erectile dysfunction.
• The impact of prostatitis on the ability to conceive.Damage to the prostate significantly reduces the production of high-quality secretions necessary to maintain sperm activity in the female reproductive tract.The secretion of the inflamed prostate gland when it enters the woman's reproductive tract during sexual intercourse will react with the immune rejection of the female body, developing gynecological diseases and the inability to conceive.
• Prostatitis causes damage inside the gland and the body.Inflammation complicated by the microbiota increases the risk of prostatic abscess.The formation of an abscess is the pus melting of part of the parenchyma of the gland with the formation of a layer surrounding the lesion.The disease of intracavitary mineralized stone formation is a consequence of the prostate complicated by damaged prostatic reflux.Consequences of prostatitis are also: acute ischemia, urinary stones, kidney failure, genital inflammation and other diseases.

Is it possible to have sex with prostatitis?

It has been proven that rhythm disturbances in sexual life are one of the causes of glandular inflammation.Regular ejaculation with moderate frequency has a positive impact on the pathogenesis of prostatitis with subclinical and moderate clinical manifestations of prostatitis.Some medical procedures and stages of illness require a temporary prohibition of sexual activity.Detailed recommendations should be obtained from your doctor.If you have sex if you have prostatitis, maintain moderation and safety in your sex life.

Is prostatitis transmitted sexually?Prostatitis is a purely male disease, with no specific viral, bacterial or fungal origin.Meanwhile, prostatitis poses a danger to gynecological health.Semen contains inflammatory products that enter the female genital organs, against the background of a deterioration of the protective barrier of the birth canal, which is a real threat to conception and pregnancy.A healthy lifestyle and reliable contraception for men is a simple way to protect your partner from common problems.

Is it possible to cure prostatitis once and for all?

Most men who have repeatedly treated prostatitis are interested in one question - whether it is possible to get rid of this unpleasant disease forever.According to experts, the effectiveness of treatment largely depends on the presence and severity of irreversible consequences in the prostate.These can be scars, stones, calcifications.

Further development of the inflammatory process can be prevented at an early stage only with timely consultation with a doctor.In this case, no irreversible complications develop in the prostate and complete cure is possible.Once areas of hardened tissue - scars - have formed, with calcifications and small stones that cannot be removed, it is likely that recurring inflammation can occur.This is chronic prostatitis.

In addition to treatment, an important factor in overcoming this disease is also how willing the patient is to change his previous lifestyle - irregular sex life and frequent sitting on the couch.If he does not want such changes, then with a high degree of confidence we can say that the inflammatory process will soon return.It is the patient's unwillingness to eliminate these negative factors from his life that leads to the idea that prostatitis is incurable.

The duration and regimen of treatment is determined by the doctor, based on the results of physical, laboratory and instrumental studies.The treatment of prostatitis is based on antibacterial drugs.The use of vitamins, physiotherapeutic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibiotic procedures is indicated.

Diet for prostatitis

Carry out a diet, use a certain set of products:

• pain relief,
• improves microcirculation of blood and lymph in the vessels of the gland,
• Strengthens the body's protective functions,
• normalizes intestinal function,
• Reduces urine formation at night.

Products for prostatitis.Eliminate usage:

1. Strong coffee, spicy food - increases blood flow to the gland, stimulates pain;
2. Fat, fatty meat, eggs, flour - increase the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of capillaries, reducing the microcirculation of blood flow in the gland;
3. Alcoholic beverages reduce immunity;
4. Products containing crude fiber, salty, spicy foods - changes in intestinal motility;
5. Large amounts of fluid (in the evening), salty, smoked foods (when sick) - increase the amount of fluid and its retention in the body.

It is recommended to include in the diet: vegetable salad mixed with olive oil, vegetables and fruits grown in the region of residence, natural juices, nuts, dried fruits, boiled lean meat.You can check out a variety of products for prostatitis with a nutritionist.

preventive measures

Prevention is based on simple, easy-to-implement rules.

• Regular long walks (this type of walking is the most physiological);
• Eat properly and have a healthy lifestyle;
• Use birth control for men.

To avoid the development of prostatitis and its complications, you should immediately contact a urologist if there are any diseases of the genital organs.It is also not necessary to wait until any symptoms appear, but to see a doctor at least once a year.At the medical facility, you will be examined and you will know for sure that everything is okay with your sexual health.

People who suffer from constipation, abuse alcohol, spicy and smoked foods, people who do not actively play sports, and people with a history of sexually transmitted diseases should not delay visiting a urologist.Due to the high risk of disease, such people must be subjected to mandatory examination, even if there are no signs for this.

As you know, men don't like going to the doctor, and when they feel unbearable, it proves that the disease has become chronic.But the treatment could have been completed much earlier.Currently, chronic prostatitis will require treatment for at least 1-2 months.