Inflammation of the prostate gland is one of the most common urological problems in men of all ages. Bacteria and viruses predominate among the causes of inflammation in the prostate.
What is bacterial prostatitis?
Currently, different forms of bacterial prostatitis are distinguished in the classification:
- Acute inflammation of the prostate.The main feature of the disease is the severity of clinical manifestations and complaints from the patient, as well as deviations in laboratory tests. But despite the acute form, the prognosis is favorable. In most cases, complete recovery is possible. Of course, only with proper diagnosis and treatment. And with prevention, the disease may no longer resemble itself.
- Subacute form.It occurs when, in the context of the manifestations of an acute illness, the patient resorts to self-medication or initially does not fully complete the prescribed medication. In some cases, this may be an initially incorrect treatment tactic. As a result, a significant portion of the symptoms gradually disappear, but some manifestations (urinary disorders, deterioration of sexual function, discomfort in the genital area) may persist and cause discomfort. If not taken in time, the disease becomes chronic with frequent exacerbations. Depending on the characteristics of the infection, it is also possible for an underlying form of the disease to develop initially.
- Chronic type of disease.Almost always, chronic prostatitis is a disease that is neglected, not treated or not treated properly. Most of the symptoms constantly bring tangible discomfort. Any adverse conditions cause a rapid outbreak with worsening of the condition.
Acute bacterial prostatitis
The disease always starts acutely and progresses rapidly. Initially, a general temperature reaction occurs, which often reaches values above 38. 5 degrees. Almost immediately, dysuric disorders appear (frequent, difficult urination in small portions, urgent (sudden) urge to urinate, impaired urine flow and sometimes until complete retention of urination).
A very important symptom is pain in the perineum, groin, scrotum, lower abdomen. If at first the pain only accompanies the process of urination, then after a while it can bother you constantly, even at rest. In addition to the manifestations of pain, the patient has a decrease in sexual desire and a worsening of the erection.
It is with these signs of bacterial prostatitis that the patient goes to a specialist urologist. Your doctor will order blood and urine tests and in most cases this may be enough. In the absence of severe pain, prostate secretion can be obtained for microscopic examination.
In the acute form of the disease, a characteristic manifestation will be severe pain during a digital examination. At the same time, no prostate massage is performed due to the risk of spreading the infection.
The urologist makes the diagnosis based on laboratory tests and patient complaints. Then treatment is prescribed, which usually includes:
- Antibiotic treatment with broad-spectrum drugs. If microorganism susceptibility data are available, more effective antibiotics for the patient may be selected.
- Painkillers can be prescribed in the form of tablets and in the form of anal suppositories for topical use. With severe pain syndrome, they are often combined.
- Anticonvulsants and drugs that improve urine output.
- Topical preparations aimed at activating resistance mechanisms. One of the most prescribed are extracts with prostate tissue extract, which stimulate local immunity and resistance, as they contain organotropically biologically active molecules.
This list of therapeutic measures, followed by the observance of the medical prescriptions and the prevention, guarantees the complete recovery.
Subacute inflammation of the prostate
The subacute form in the initial stage is no different from the acute one. However, it is formed due to incomplete or interrupted treatment. At the same time, the patient's alertness is lullabied by the fact that the most acute symptoms disappear, such as fever, which most often disappears completely. But other symptoms - dysuric disorders, disturbances in the intimate sphere, pain or discomfort in daily life - remain, albeit with minimal manifestations. Gradually, the patient becomes accustomed to ignoring them.
A continuous slow process gradually turns into years. Very often, any weakening of the immune system leads to an exacerbation of the process with the development of the clinical picture. The treatment of subacute prostatitis is based on:
- Antibiotic treatment with mandatory determination of the susceptibility of microorganisms.
- Painkillers, and most often with a long period of action.
- Anticonvulsants and drugs that improve urine output. In this case, bigger lessons are needed, as some of the changes become difficult to reverse.
- Topical preparations with activation of local immune and organotropic mechanisms of resistance. One of the most commonly prescribed is preparations containing prostate tissue extract.
It is extremely important for subacute prostatitis to complete the course of treatment and to conscientiously follow all the necessary recommendations. In this case, there is a possibility to cure the disease and prevent its transition to a chronic form, from which it will be impossible to get rid of.
Chronic prostatitis
This clinical form of the disease can progress in different ways. With an exacerbation, the clinical picture becomes similar to an acute form of inflammation of the prostate gland and outside of the exacerbation, there are consistently minimal intense symptoms.
Main signs of bacterial prostatitis in remission:
- Dysuric disorders. Most often they are represented by a decrease in the speed of urine flow in the form of a slow weakened jet. There is no feeling of complete emptying of the bladder. The frequent urge to urinate in small portions, especially at night, is typical - this symptom is called nocturia.
- Violations of the familiar sphere. In this case, there is discomfort during sexual intercourse, while pain may also be observed during ejaculation. An important sign of the disease is the reduction of the quality of the erection, as well as the reduction of the ability to conceive, until complete infertility.
- Chronic pain syndrome. It is constantly present, reducing a man's quality of life and negatively affecting his activity and ability to work. At the same time, factors such as hypothermia, physical activity, stress often increase pain.
With the onset of a chronic disease, the treatment of bacterial prostatitis is no different from the treatment of acute or subacute forms:
- Antibiotic treatment with mandatory determination of the susceptibility of microorganisms that cause inflammation.
- Painkillers, and most often with a long period of action.
- Anticonvulsants and drugs that improve urine output. Long-term dosing is often required in fairly large doses, as existing changes are virtually irreversible and permanent. The main task in this case is to reduce the severity of the dysuric phenomena.
- Drugs for bacterial prostatitis of local action with organotropic and organoprotective mechanism of resistance. One of the most commonly prescribed drugs is products with extracts from prostate tissues.
Proper prevention of any form of bacterial prostatitis
At present, experts identify three key areas of prevention that initially help reduce the risk of the disease and its chronic forms, reducing the frequency and severity of exacerbations. This is achieved by reducing the impact of risk factors, such as:
- Stagnation of blood circulation in the tissues of the gland with irregular sexual activity.
- Frequent change of partner during unprotected sex.
- Excessive interruption in sex life or excessive, debilitating sexual activity.
- Mechanical rough stimulation of the urethra, especially dangerous due to minor injury and direct bacterial infection.
- General and local hypothermia.
- Low physical activity and mainly sedentary lifestyle.
- Physical exhaustion, exhausting physical activity.
- Injury of the genitals.
Primary preventionaimed at preventing the onset of the disease. An important role here is given to ensuring personal and intimate hygiene, the normalization of physical and sexual activity, the avoidance of stressful situations and the hypothermia of the perineum.
Secondary preventionaiming at the most complete cure of the infectious process. The best result is complete recovery. The more correctly the treatment is chosen and the more responsible the man is to fulfill the doctor's prescriptions, the greater the chance of complete recovery.
Tertiary preventionBacterial prostatitis is necessary in situations where the disease has already acquired a chronic form. Its main purpose is to prevent the occurrence of exacerbations of the disease.
Not all of the above precautions can always provide complete protection against flare-ups. Recently, drugs that increase the level of local immunity have appeared and have been actively used. This increases the resistance of the prostate tissue. Some of the preparations are of plant origin. These act due to plant analogs of hormonal compounds. However, the degree of effectiveness of these funds is still being investigated and has not been fully established.
Preparations based on animal tissue extracts have a more substantial evidence base. Organic compounds perfectly suitable for the human body. Among these, the most commonly prescribed are suppositories and ampoules of bovine prostate tissue extract. They have a proven level of clinical effectiveness in reducing the risks of adverse effects on the prostate. When you use these funds, there is an increase in the protective reserves of the gland itself. In addition, resistance increases and the prostate is supplied with the necessary biologically active molecules. In this way reinforcement is achieved at the "minimum resistance point".