What is chronic prostatitis? First of all, you need to understand what a prostate gland is, it is also a prostate gland. This is an organ that only men have in the body, it develops during fetal development and lasts for life. The prostate gland is an excretory gland, i. e. develops its secret and takes it out.
Due to its location, it cannot be seen outside, because. located in the pelvis in men. It is a circular formation, located under the bladder, and at the same time located close to the pelvic muscles, rectum, ureters, urethra and vascular and nerve plexuses of the small pelvis. Since this organ is an exocrine gland, it is important to understand what functions it performs. First of all, she secretes a secret, which is one of the important components of sperm in men. This squash contains a lot of protein, amino acids, etc. v.
Unfortunately, both men and doctors pay little attention to the prostate.
So what exactly is chronic prostatitis?
This is an inflammatory disease of the prostate gland. This inflammation can be acute or chronic.
No chronic disease began spontaneously; it is always preceded by some degree of acute inflammation.
In some cases, the man may not notice the appearance of the disease, but it will persist for a long time and go untreated, then lead to serious morphological and functional disorders. power.
Chronic prostatitis usually develops at least three months after acute inflammation of the prostate gland.
As a result of this inflammation, the morphology of the cellular component is disturbed, and functions in the prostate gland are also affected.Epidemiology
This disease is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in men. This disease is quite young, which means that men of different ages can get the disease. If prostate tumors are more common in old age, then chronic prostatitis can appear in men and in their 20s. The average age at which symptoms of the disease are detected is 40-50 years old. .
In old age, almost every man gets this disease, but many of them can't even treat it and don't go to the doctor complaining about the appearance of some symptoms.
At the same time, in chronic prostatitis, the symptoms may not manifest immediately and the man may turn to other, more serious problems in his opinion. And only before the treatment of another disease, the original cause is revealed. If in the case of acute inflammation, the wrong treatment is carried out, then chronic prostatitis is inevitable.
Causes of chronic prostatitis
First of all, when determining the cause of the development of inflammation in the prostate gland, it is necessary to identify the causative factors. There are many of them and they are very popular in the modern world.
These are mainly infectious agents. Usually, the cause is microbial. Microbial infections may be nonspecific or carry specific pathogens. Specific triggers include sexually transmitted infections. And because in men, many of these infections can be completely asymptomatic, then they can stay in the body for a long time. Even the most unlikely of chronic infections can lead to prostatitis.
The appearance of nonspecific pathogens in the causative factors can be attributed to non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, rarely washing the foreskin of the penis both after urination and shortly after intercourse.
In some cases, dysbacteriosis in sexual partners, or certain opportunistic pathogens in women, play a huge role in the development of prostatitis in men.
Among the most common inflammatory agents are: chlamydia, trichomonads, gonococci, gardnerella, E. coli, staphylococcus and enterococcus.
Don't forget about the possibility of viruses and fungi being involved
In this case, the pathogen enters the body in an ascending way, that is, through the urethra.
In addition, there is another important way of entry of the infectious agent - through the blood. Many men have some kind of inflammatory disease, sometimes influenza or SARS can also cause an inflammatory process.
Hypothermia, reduced immunity and even overheating against the background of an already existing infection in the body can also provoke the development of inflammation.
Sexual behavior also plays an important role in the development of the inflammatory response. In this case, prolonged abstinence from sexual intercourse has an adverse effect on the condition of the gland, it contributes to stagnation of blood qi in the pelvic organs, disturbances in the blood supply and overPerfusion to this organ is also slowed.
The interruption of sexual intercourse, the incomplete expulsion of sperm leads to stagnation of secretions in the organ as well as the coagulation of the organ, hypertrophy affecting the blood supply process, and may even causemild swelling of the surrounding tissues. In rare cases, the disease is immunological in nature. Autoimmune factors were also not excluded. Chronic somatic infections should also be ruled out.
Symptoms and treatment of chronic prostatitis
Symptoms of chronic prostatitis in many men may not appear at all. Some can't even name one or another influencing factor. However, there are many symptoms of this disease. The most common of these is pain. Pain syndrome can be quite long sometimes months.
Pain is usually not localized to a specific place. It is usually diffuse in nature, with a tendency to irradiate the lower back, perineum, scrotum, and groin. But that doesn't mean they are spot on. Usually they are pulled and ache, these pains are not permanent. They tend to increase or decrease depending on the condition of the body and the influence of environmental factors.
Another important sign is violations in the sexual sphere. Men often complain of erectile dysfunction, at first it is almost imperceptible, and in the later stages, it appears much later, even with exposure to all the predisposing factors.
But never with chronic prostatitis is there complete impotence. Same goes for ejaculation. At first, it can happen much faster than planned, and at a later stage, on the contrary, it slows down, almost completely ceases. Orgasms become less vivid and emotional. Sometimes problems related to the sexual sphere can affect a partner. A very common cause after which men are diagnosed with chronic prostatitis is infertility.
Also quite often men can experience problems with urination. It comes on quickly, sometimes reminiscent of signs of cystitis. The compulsion to urinate can bother a man at night. Sometimes they are accompanied by pain, cramps, etc. v. A man can spot the symptoms of chronic prostatitis on his own.
How to diagnose chronic prostatitis timely and start treatment immediately and effectively?
Usually it does not cause difficulties for professionals of this profile. When a man is exposed to any of these symptoms, a doctor can make this diagnosis without further testing.
Usually, minimal examination is limited to taking a history, testing, and digital rectal examination. A digital rectal exam requires no extra preparation for men. The doctor can determine the size of the prostate gland, its consistency, the pain in a particular area.
Laboratory readings are not limited to general blood tests. Urinalysis is also necessary, in this case it has certain features. A man needs to pass the last part of urine, the so-called terminal. In it, the laboratory assistant must determine the white blood cell count and the presence of bacterial cells. In some cases, the germ is not found and you must get tested for STIs.
They also take a smear from the urethra. Another very important thing in the diagnostic plan is the ultrasound. It is done through the rectum using a special sensor. The size of the gland, the presence of scars, tumors, edema, etc. v. is determined. It is also important to check the blood supply to the organ.
In some more severe and asymptomatic cases, an invasive biopsy procedure may be required.
To rule out cancer, a man may be sent to determine tumor markers of prostate cancer in his blood. It's called PSA. But you need to take the pill no earlier than 10 days after the digital rectal exam.
Treatment of chronic prostatitis
The sooner chronic prostatitis is treated, the more likely it is to get the disease out of its chronic form. You should never self-treat, as prostatitis needs to be treated by a qualified specialist.
Treatment of this pathology is carried out by a urologist. Usually, treatment does not require a hospital stay. It is necessary to treat all existing chronic diseases.
First of all, you should start with lifestyle changes. It is necessary to exclude casual sex with a sexual partner.
You must follow the rules of personal hygiene. Thoroughly wash the foreskin to prevent bacteria from accumulating under the foreskin. Sex life should be regular, full ejaculation. Coitus interruption should be avoided.
In addition, physical activity should be increased. Move more often to avoid pooling of blood in the pelvis and prostate.
Diet also needs to be adjusted. Try to avoid fast, spicy, smoked, and salty foods. Sweets should also be limited. Alcohol and drugs should be completely avoided. Men should also stop smoking.
Treatment of prostatitis is also divided into medical and surgical. First of all, with chronic prostatitis, they begin to treat, of course, the cause. And since it's often the most contagious, antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment. Its choice depends mainly on the pathogen that was detected during the diagnostic process. It is best that they proceed immediately to determine the sensitivity of the microorganism to antibacterial agents.
Then the treatment will be more effective and shorter. Antibiotics can be prescribed in a variety of ways. With an asymptomatic course, pill forms are often prescribed. If there is an exacerbation of the chronic process, then they must resort to injections. Treatment of chronic prostatitis can involve several methods at once.
An important component of complex treatment are anti-inflammatory drugs. This is usually a group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Vasodilators are often also needed, they are used to improve blood supply in the pelvic organs, restore microcirculation. They prevent clogging.
Another class of agents used are immunomodulators. Vitamin therapy should also be included in the complex treatment.
Surgical methods are rarely used, but sometimes this is the only way. Among these methods, prostatectomy is used. In some cases, it is necessary to treat existing complications with surgery. This could be the removal of the cyst or the opening of an abscess.
The treatment of chronic prostatitis also includes various physical therapy. In order for such a disease as chronic prostatitis to have a favorable prognosis, the identified disease should be treated immediately. The effectiveness of the treatment needs to be monitored by a specialist after some time.