Chronic Prostatitis

Chronic Prostatitis Chronic prostatitis affects men and causes inflammation and pain in the prostate gland, which is located in the lower urinary tract directly underneath the bladder. This condition is most prevalent in men who are aged between 35 and 50. Left untreated, this condition can develop into serious urinary and sexual problems. Out of every 10 men, 1 or 2 will get chronic prostatitis some time in their life. Two million annual visits to the doctor are related to an inflamed prostate.

What Is Chronic Prostatitis?


The term "prostatitis" refers to the inflammation of the prostate gland. It can either be chronic (persistent) or acute. On the other hand, it can be non-infective or infective.

For you to be diagnosed with chronic prostatitis, you must have had the symptoms for 3 months or more. For acute prostatitis, the symptoms show up and disappear much faster. There are 2 major types:

• Chronic bacterial prostatitis


• CPPS (Chronic Prostatitis)

What Are the Symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis
Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis
This condition's symptoms normally vary in intensity from time to time. You will mostly feel discomfort and pain around the anus, at penis' base, in your lower back and/or just above the pubic bone. The pain can spread to the testes and penis. You might also feel some discomfort when you are passing stool. In addition, you might have symptoms similar to a urine infection. These symptoms include passing urine often, pain when urinating or a pressing urge to urinate.

Acute bacterial prostatitis has similar symptoms, but men with chronic prostatitis are usually less sickly compared those suffering from acute bacterial prostatitis. They are not likely to experience pains, aches and high fever.

When antibiotics are administered, symptoms of this condition normally reduce. Nevertheless, if the antibiotics don’t clear the infected prostate, it is more likely that the illness will flare-up again. Before the infection comes back, you are likely to have mild urine infection symptoms like frequently passing urine and mild pain.

Chronic Prostatitis/CPPS
In this case, symptoms have been observed for 3 months in the past 6 months. These symptoms are:

• Pain.You will experience pain around your anus, at the penis' base, lower back and lower abdomen. In some cases, the pain might spread to the penis' tip and/or to the testicles. The major symptom for chronic prostatitis is pain and its severity varies on a daily basis.


• Urinary symptoms.These include a poor urine stream, mild pain whenever you're urinating, pressing urge to urinate and some resistance any time you try to urinate.


• Sexual complications.You might experience problems when trying to get an erection (impotence), or you feel pain when ejaculating or even worse pain after sexual intercourse.


• Other symptoms. General pains and aches as well as fatigue.

When to See a Doctor
If you feel pelvic pain, painful or difficult urination and painful ejaculation (orgasm), it is wise to pay your doctor a visit. Some types of prostatitis can cause other health problems or worsening infections if left untreated.

What Are the Causes & Risk Factorsof Chronic Prostatitis
Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis
This is a form of infective prostatitis. It is mainly caused by a persistent (chronic) infection in the prostate gland. A man who has this condition will keep having urine infections over and over. The type of bacteria that causes urine infections is also responsible for this condition. The infection can be harbored in the prostate gland making the infection recur. It is, however, important to note that prostatitis isn't sexually transmitted.

Chronic Prostatitis/CPPS
The cause of this type of prostatitis is unknown. However, there are many theories that try to explain its cause. They include nerve problems affecting the prostate, infection of the gland by an unidentified germ, an autoimmune problem of the prostate (the antibodies that are meant to be fighting diseases are fighting the prostrate instead), and inflammation as a result of urine moving back into the prostrate when passing urine.Different people respond differently to anti-inflammatory painkillers and antibiotics. For this reason, doctors prefer calling this condition chronic pelvic pain syndrome to disassociate it from the prostate gland being the root of the problem.

Risk Factors
Risk factors for this condition include:

• Being under Stress


• Having HIV/AIDS


• Inheriting certain traits – some men are more vulnerable to the condition due to a specific gene


• Being middle aged or a young man


• Having pelvic trauma like from cycling or horse riding


• Having a history of prostatitis


• Having an infection in the bladder or urethra


• Not drinking enough liquids


• The use of a catheter - a tube used to drain urine from the bladder in place of the urethra


• Engaging in unprotected sex

What Are the Treatments for Chronic Prostatitis?
For Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis
The possible treatments include:

• An extended antibiotic dosage. If your healthcare provider administers antibiotics and the symptoms are yet to clear after 4 weeks, they might prescribe a longer dosage. In some cases, the dosage can last up to 3 months.


• Prostatectomy (prostate gland removal) can be an option if there is presence of Calculi (small stones). It isn't well known how this procedure can help, but there are suggestions that these calculi are the cause of the infection recurring. Nevertheless, this is an uncommon practice, and it isn't a viable option for everybody. It is important to seek the advice of a specialist.

For Chronic Prostatitis
Possible treatments include:

• Antibiotics. At first these can be tried out. However, the evidence of their efficacy is limited. There is a possibility that a number of antibiotics might rid you of some of the hard to detect bacteria from a urine test or some antibiotics have anti-inflammatory elements.


• Alpha-blockers.This is medication that is used to cure prostate enlargement. Alpha-blockers work by relaxing the outlet of the bladder and the prostate’s muscle tissue. There are a number of brands that are available and have shown evidence in easing CPPS. They are worth trying.


• Other medication.Examples include finasteride (a drug that may reduce the size of the prostate) and bioflavonoids (like quercetin)


• Stress management.To cope with Chronic Pain, stress management and any other pain-reliving techniques are applied.

Home Remedies
Some of the home remedies that can reduce the symptoms of prostatitis include:

• Take a sit bath - that is, soaking in a warm bath.


• Avoid or reduce the consumption of acidic or spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol.


• Avoid cycling, or adjust your bicycle to reduce the pressure exerted to your prostrate and wear padded shorts


• Do not sit for long hours to avoid applying too much pressure to the prostate or try and sit on a pillow or soft cushion.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis






Infection on the prostate glands is described as prostatitis. It can be bacterial infection or just inflammation. It is one of the common problems in men below 50 years. Prostatitis can occur at any age but it is frequently found in young aged and middle aged men. This infection on the prostate gland can be either acute or chronic. At some point of their life, about 10-15% of all men experience prostatitis. Chronic (long lasting) prostatitis can cause repeated bladder infection.

Prostate gland is roughly walnut sized gland and is part and parcel of male reproductive system. It is found below the bladder and placed in front of the rectum. The major function of prostate gland is to produce semen so that it gets transported through the urethra.

Types :

• Acute Prostatitis :

It can cause sudden inflammation of prostate gland due to bacterial infection. The affected men would have increased urge to pass urine with sudden increased output of urine. They might have pelvic pain accompanied with symptoms like fever, chills and burning pain while passing urine. This type of prostatitis requires immediate treatment since it can cause bladder infection if left untreated. In severe cases, the patient will be hospitalized and treated with IV fluids and antibiotics.

• Chronic Prostatitis :

This type may last for many months causing repeated Urinary Tract Infection. The symptoms are the same as acute prostatitis but it is less severe and hence difficult to be diagnosed. Oral antibiotics are prescribed for several weeks in this case.

• Nonbacterial Chronic Prostatitis :

This is the most common type of prostatitis occurring in most of the men. Major symptoms include urinary infection, pain in the genital areas and pelvic pain. It can cause inflammation of prostate gland.

Causes :

Exact cause of prostatitis is not known and still it is not clear why some men are getting infected and others not. Bacterial infection of prostatitis can occur when the bacteria gains entry into the prostate gland when there is backward flow of infected urine in the urethra. There is little chance that bacterial infection can take place through sex.

Risk Factors :

Men who often involve in rectal intercourse, men with family history of prostatitis, men having frequent urinary tract infection, men who have used urinal catheter recently, men with enlarged prostate gland and men having abnormal function of urinary tract have increased risk of developing prostatitis.

Symptoms :

Most of the time, chronic type of prostatitis will not show any symptoms. Acute type may cause sudden symptoms and they are severe. Prostatitis can cause difficulty in urinating, burning pain while passing urine, sudden urge to urinate and plenty of visits to toilet (especially during night). Some men may develop sudden fever, chills with nausea and vomiting sensation. It can also cause pain in the pelvic floor, pain in the groin and enlargement of prostate gland. Some men may get pain while ejaculation and sexual intercourse.

Tests :

Chronic prostatitis may go unnoticed in many cases. Testing procedure for prostatitis include rectal examination through digital instruments and ultrasound scan. If necessary of prostate fluid is collected and tested in the lab to confirm the presence of bacteria.

Treatment :

Urologists are experts for treating prostatitis. Your specialist should be sure that the symptoms are due to prostatitis are not due to other causes like urethra infection. Acute prostatitis (in severe cases) will be treated in the hospital by giving intravenous antibiotics. For chronic prostatitis oral antibiotics are prescribed for long term (12-15 weeks).

Sitting in the sitz bath can give you comfort and relief from pain. Muscle relaxant drugs and pain killers are also effective in treating the symptoms of pelvic pain and discomfort. If the infection of prostate gland is severe, your surgeon would remove the infected part of the gland through surgery. This is the last option if the prostatitis is chronic and blocks the urine output. Non-infectious prostatitis can be treated with alpha blockers like Cardura or Hytrin.

Home Remedies :

• Avoid taking alcohol. Avoid having spicy and oily foods.


• Avoid riding a bicycle and horse riding, since it may worsen the pain.


• Complete the course of medication as prescribed by your doctor, even if the symptoms are not there.

Complications :

Severe form of prostatitis can block the normal output of urine causing urinary retention and kidney damage. In some cases, it can lead to Infertility. Sometimes, the infection (left untreated) may spread into the blood stream causing Sepsis. In rare cases it can be fatal.

Outlook :

Acute prostatitis can be dangerous and must be treated promptly. Chronic type can cause long term symptoms and the person should continue taking treatment and follow ups. Prostatitis does not cause Prostate Cancer.