What is prostatitis in men

Prostatitis is an inflammatory process in the prostate gland, also referred to as the prostate gland. So, what is the prostate in men? The prostate gland is a muscular organ of a man, which is located around the neck of the bladder, close enough to the vas deferens.

The prostate is considered to be a minor organ of the male reproductive system. The urethra passes through the prostate gland, and in this regard, if the gland is enlarged, there is pressure on the urinary tract, which makes it difficult for urine to pass. The prostate forms a special secret, which is a component that makes up the semen.

In view of this, the prostate gland performs the following functions:

• guarantees normal sperm activity and motility;
• enables the genitourinary system to fight infections;
• regulates healthy erections;
• promotes testosterone production;
• controls the work of the pituitary gland;
• ensures the proper flow of urine.

Due to the fact that the prostate has a fairly wide area of activity, it carries a danger of prostatitis in men, which entails many different problems that are associated with deviations in the work of this organ. The disease can appear at any age. According to statistics, every second man suffers from prostatitis.

But what is prostatitis in men, and by what signs can the disease be recognized?

The causes of prostatitis are usually identified as the following causes of the disease:

• One of the main causes of the onset of the disease will be a violation of blood circulation, which leads to an enlargement of the prostate gland. The reason for the deviations in blood circulation will be an inactive lifestyle, as well as high body weight.
• Also, prostatitis in men can occur due to infection. Most often, the infection occurs as a result of diseases such as gonorrhea or urethritis, sometimes as a result of complications of angina, flu, tuberculosis.
• Prostatitis, which is bacterial in nature, occurs due to infection entering the prostate through the blood, lymph, during unprotected intimacy, in other words, through the body's biological fluids. All kinds of microorganisms that are always on the skin, or in the organs of the abdominal cavity, for example, in the intestines, in specific conditions can cause the disease.
• As a result of injury to the organs and soft tissues of the small pelvis, their blood circulation is impaired, which can lead to the appearance of the disease. Most often this applies to drivers, since their activities have professional hazards - constant vibrations, shaking, increased stress on the muscles of the perineum.
• The disease can also occur as a result of constant hypothermia and low physical activity, if there are chronic diseases of the genitourinary system or hormonal imbalance, urine retention and irregular intimate life.
• Due to the high sexual activity in men, nervous and physical fatigue quickly appears, there are disturbances in the functioning of the hormonal system, the secretion of the gonads, which can lead to a gradual decrease in potency.
• Also, interrupted intercourse has a negative effect on men's health. In addition, a sedentary lifestyle can negatively affect the functioning of the endocrine, nervous and cardiovascular systems. At the same time, there is a poor blood supply to the abdominal organs, which leads to stagnation of blood, oxygen starvation of the tissues of the gland - all this can cause the growth and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria, as a result of which prostatitis in men may appear.

The above factors are not the main causes of inflammation of the prostate, but open up the possibility for the infection to enter the prostate. When there is inflammation in the rectum or urethra, it can cause a secondary infection of the prostate - in an ascending manner if bacteria move up from the external urethral canal, or downward if bacteria enter the gland from infected urine.

Another factor that suggests the development of the disease may be constipation, which is chronic. Such deviations can cause inflammation.

The immune system also plays a significant role in the onset and course of the disease.

Among the causes of the disease are urological infections and some venereal diseases. Also, the presence of such diseases in a man as bronchitis, tonsillitis in a chronic form, untreated caries can be the cause of prostatitis in men.

There are signs by which prostatitis in men is subdivided. So, according to the form of the course, the disease can be:

• spicy;
• chronic.

Acute prostatitis occurs when the tissues of the prostate are infected with an infection, which is a consequence of the pathogenic activity of bacteria, protozoa, fungi. When a man is healthy, these bacteria will be a common part of his microflora, but in the case when the number of microorganisms greatly increases, an acute inflammatory process occurs.

This phenomenon occurs when some of the factors coincide:

• weakening the immune system;
• there are concomitant infections that are chronic;
• the presence of pathologies of internal organs;
• hormonal disruptions;
• recent surgery.

Acute prostatitis occurs fairly quickly and is characterized by the following symptoms:

• severe pain from the perineum and anus to the lower back and legs;
• deviations in urine flow;
• pain during sexual arousal, during urination, defecation;
• problems with erection and ejaculation;
• general painful condition.

Despite the fact that death from this disease, even in an acute form, is hardly possible, this disease is treated mainly in a hospital under the supervision of specialists. This is necessary in order to prevent the transition of the disease to a chronic form or to dangerous complications. There is an opportunity to completely cure the disease, but only in the case of a timely visit to a primary specialist - it is necessary to know about this for those who, instead of starting treatment, believe that the disease can go away on its own.

The chronic form of this disease can occur as a result of tissue damage by bacteria or as a result of such phenomena:

• stagnation of blood or prostate secretions;
• age related changes;
• autoimmune reactions.

The onset of chronic prostatitis can occur against a background of specific risk factors, which include:

• previous genital infections;
• weakened immune system;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• constant stress;
• unhealthy diet, which can lead to problems with bowel movements;
• injury to the perineum (or prostate);
• constant hypothermia or once, but for quite a long time);
• bad habits.

A chronic inflammatory process can proceed without symptoms - while during the explicit course of the process, the pathogenic environment is not detected in the analyzed analyzes. Nevertheless, this process is often a disease that arose as a result of the fact that acute prostatitis was not completely treated.

Chronic inflammation is characterized by the following symptoms:

• urinary disorders;
• mild groin pain;
• sharp pain and burning sensation in the perineal region;
• decreased libido;
• a general feeling of weakness, apathy, nervousness.

Chronic prostatitis is so dangerous in men that with this form of the disease, remission phases alternate with exacerbation phases, which are quite severe and can cause serious harm without the supervision of a specialist.

In addition, in the absence of timely treatment, this form of the disease can lead to a large number of complications.

Noting that the outcomes of the above complications range from personal injury to death.

What is the form of prostatitis?

In addition to the fact that it is such a disease, which is subdivided according to the form of the course, prostatitis is also usually divided according to the types of causative agents that provoke it. In addition, a non-bacterial form should be distinguished, which occurs without any symptoms and without the participation of microbes, viruses, bacteria. Most often there is no need to treat the prostate gland in this form - it will be enough to remove the inflammation and eliminate the phenomenon that caused the disease.

Unlike the non-bacterial form of the disease, infectious prostatitis can be:

• Bacterial. It develops in case of ingestion of staphylococci, streptococci, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa;
• Viral. The causative agents are herpes virus, human papilloma, influenza, cytomegalovirus;
• Mycoplasma. In this case, the causative agents are mycoplasma;
• Gonorrheal. Here, the causative agents of the disease are gonococci;
• Chlamydial. The causative agents are intracellular organisms of chlamydia;
• Trichomonas. Development occurs under the influence of Trichomonas;
• Tuberculous. The causative agents are Koch sticks;
• Fungal. It develops as a result of the defeat of the body by candida fungi against the background of a weakened immune system.

In addition, a mixed type of disease is distinguished, during which inflammation occurs in the tissues of the gland, which is caused by several types of the above infections. In addition to the above types of disease, there are stagnant inflammations, which arise due to stagnation of a secret (or its weak excretion) or stagnation of blood. Stagnation of secretions occurs as a result of irregular intercourse, stagnation of blood is the result of a sedentary lifestyle, hypothermia, trauma to the abdominal cavity or perineum.

If a man has congestive prostatitis, and in addition to this, there has been an infection of the body, there is a risk of complications of the inflammatory process and a significant deterioration in his health. Also, calculous inflammation of the prostate is isolated, which occurs as a result of metabolic disorders in the gland, as a result of which micro stones appear and the inflammatory process begins.

Methods for diagnosing prostatitis

The diagnosis of prostatitis can be made by a specialist during a personal examination.

Research methods:

• a specialist performs a digital rectal examination of the prostate;
• sampling of material for the analysis of prostate secretions;
• blood and urine tests are scheduled;
• taking tests for STIs;
• ultrasound; - uroflowmetry, monitoring of the circadian rhythm of urine waste;
• culture of urine and prostate secretions for antibiotic susceptibility testing;
• for prostate biopsy.

During the diagnosis process, it should be ensured that the manifestations of the disease are not signs of urethritis or other diseases that can result in persistent bladder or kidney infections.

Treatment

To treat the inflammatory process of the prostate begin only after the exact definition of the type and form of the disease. The effectiveness of therapy will depend on this. A man needs emergency hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics if there is Acute prostatitis, which is characterized by severe intoxication, fever, and generally poor health. With an easy course of the disease, you can undergo a course of therapy on an outpatient basis.

Treat the disease in two ways:

• Medication;
• Surgical.

Medical method. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have a bacterial form of the disease. When the condition is not caused by bacteria or viruses, antibiotic therapy will be useless. At the same time, almost any acute infection can be treated with antibiotics. The choice of drugs for acute inflammation of the gland should be based on identifying the type of infectious agent and its individual sensitivity to antibiotics.

To relieve chronic groin and pelvic pain, your doctor will prescribe medications that help relax the muscles of the gland and bladder, which can improve urine flow and reduce symptoms. In order to relieve the protective tension of the pelvic floor muscles, reduce compression of the affected gland, as well as reduce pain, the doctor prescribes muscle-relaxing drugs.

With a complex course of the disease, intravenous fluids and diuretics are recommended, which promotes the release of a large amount of urine, this is a kind of prevention of intoxication of the body, as well as the development of an ascending urinary infection (cystitis, pyelonephritis). To relieve the clinical signs of non-infectious inflammation of the gland, the doctor will prescribe analgesics, antipyretics, and anticholinergics.

If, during the treatment of acute infectious inflammation, clinical signs have disappeared, therapy must be completed, since the symptoms may disappear until the infection completely disappears from the body, and if therapy is interrupted, acute infectious prostatitis may become chronic.

Surgical method.

Surgical method is treated only if drug therapy was useless, and also if the prostate interferes with urine waste. In addition, surgical operations are not performed on young people, as this can lead to male infertility.