According to statistics, every third man of working age suffers from prostatitis at different periods of life. Persistent pain, impotence, infertility - this is not a complete list of problems that threaten patients in the absence of treatment. Due to the high urgency and risk of the disease, its symptoms and initial manifestations should be known to every man. In this article, you will learn about all the signs and diagnostic methods that allow you to diagnose prostatitis.
The clinical picture in the early stages of development
Prostatitis is an inflammatory lesion of the male prostate. The following forms of the disease are distinguished: acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, asymptomatic prostatitis. Each form manifests itself in different ways, has characteristic signs and characteristics of the course.
It is difficult to say how the disease will progress to any particular man. The presence of certain signs depends on a number of external and internal factors. To facilitate the characterization of the pathology, it is common to divide all the symptoms of prostatitis into 3 major groups: those related to urinary disorders, sexual dysfunction, mental problems. The first and most important symptoms of prostatitis (apart from the asymptomatic form) may be the following signs in a man:
- Pain in the pelvis, back, groin.
- Pain and burning during urination.
- Difficulty urinating.
- Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder and false urge to urinate.
Pain in the pelvis, back, groin, the feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder and the wrong urge to urinate are signs of prostatitis.
The reported symptoms are due to impaired urinary function, which is due to the anatomical features of the structure and location of the bladder and prostate. The signs of prostatitis associated with sexual dysfunction are also significant and pronounced. Men most often make the following complaints:
- Weak erection.
- Quick start of ejaculation during intercourse.
- Lack of orgasm or reduced sensitivity.
- Pain in the urethra and rectum during ejaculation.
Problems with urination and difficulties in intimate life due to inflammation of the prostate gland greatly disturb the man. Patients with prostatitis are forced to change their lifestyle, to give up their habits, family relationships become more complicated. Obsession with your problem causes increased nervousness, anxiety, decreased libido, which can be called an indirect sign of prostatitis, which belongs to the third group of the above symptoms (mental disorders).
Prostatitis in men can often be confused with prostate adenoma or cancer, a pathology of the bladder. All of these diseases occur similarly, especially in the early stages. It is very difficult to distinguish them for an unprepared person, so a differential diagnosis is made by analyzing all the existing objective symptoms, laboratory and organic research data. Since each form of prostatitis has specific signs and characteristics, it is wise to look at them separately.
Characteristics of certain forms of the disease
Acute prostatitis is an inflammation of the male prostate caused by the penetration of an infectious agent into the organ through the blood, lymph or urethra. The disease begins abruptly and is characterized by the severity of all clinical symptoms. The main symptoms of acute prostatitis:
- The increase in body temperature to 39-40 degrees.
- Symptoms of general intoxication (headache, weakness, fatigue, decreased performance, etc. ).
- Severe perineal pain, sacred, over a man's pubic joint.
- Frequent, painful urination.
- Sometimes men have urinary retention.
A temperature of 39-40 is a clear sign of prostate inflammation.
Acute inflammation of the prostate gland usually ends with a recovery or schedule of the procedure (symptoms can be bothersome for several months). But more often this form of prostatitis is primary and is a consequence of the presence of bad habits (alcohol abuse, smoking and so on), sedentary lifestyle, deficiency of vitamins and minerals, prolonged sexual abstinence or results from non-aggressive sexual intercourse ornormal microflora factors. The clinical picture of chronic prostatitis seems more limited than in the acute form, the symptoms of the disease are inconsistent, which greatly complicates the diagnosis. For chronic prostatitis, the following symptoms are more typical:
- Increased desire to urinate, including at night.
- Pain when urinating and also during ejaculation.
- Dull pain in the lower back, pelvis, above the chest, etc.
Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) in a man combines recurrent pain in the prostate area, temporary disorders of the urinary and reproductive systems. CPPS in medicine is a broader concept, as pathogenetically, the pathology can be based on tumor or ischemic process, disorders of the nervous system and not just inflammation. The inconsistency of the presence of signs of prostatitis in chronic pelvic pain syndrome significantly complicates the diagnosis, but it is much more difficult to make in the asymptomatic form. In these cases, the main and decisive role is played by the data of laboratory and organic research methods.
Diagnostic techniques
Based on the symptoms of prostatitis alone, a definitive diagnosis cannot be made. In addition, doctors should collect reminders: information about the time of onset of symptoms, their connection to the main and important events in life, physical and mental shock, clarify all possible predisposing factors and so on. A normal examination is always performed - a digital rectal examination in the position of the knee-elbow of a sick man, who is lying on his side with his legs bent or standing with his body bent forward. During this study, you can find signs that characterize prostatitis (the presence of all is not necessary):
- Enlargement of male sexual size.
- The shape of the instrument is correct or flattened with depression.
- Coated or fermented consistency.
- Normal prostate border.
- Increased pain with pressure.
Further examination of a patient with prostatitis symptoms is supplemented by laboratory methods. General and biochemical blood tests are prescribed - there are no specific changes in the indicators, only indirect indications that make it possible to assess the presence of an inflammatory process in a man's body (increase in the number of leukocytes, acute phase proteins, accelerated ESR). The results of urine tests will be valuable, which will allow to judge the presence of an infectious process in the genital tract, will help identify the pathogen for the initiation of etiological treatment. In addition, urologists may prescribe an analysis of the secretion of the prostate, sperm.
Among the instrumental methods for the diagnosis of prostate diseases, the most informative is TRUS - transverse ultrasound. In this case, a special sensor is used, which the doctor inserts into the rectum. This causes discomfort to a sick man, but is offset by the information content of this method. With the help of TRUS it is possible to assess the structure of the organ, to assess the presence of tissue inflammation, the degree of narrowing of the urinary system and to exclude the presence of calcium. The main echo signs of prostatitis: enlargement of the organ in size, edema, fibrosis, changes in sclerotic tissue, chondrocytes and heterogeneous structure.
In addition, patients with symptoms of prostatitis undergo uroflowmetry - a special diagnostic test that measures a man's urination rate. Based on the data of this study, conclusions can be drawn about the degree of urethral stricture, the activity of the extruder. Uroflowmetry should not replace TRUS, but rather confirm its findings and signs of existing prostatitis.
The plan for a prostatitis diagnostic test can be extended if indicated in a man. To clarify individual points about the diagnosis, cystoscopy, pelvic computed tomography may be performed. In unclear cases, a biopsy is performed for differentiation by tumor procedures.
What to do when the first symptoms appear
The biggest and most common mistake that many men make when they have signs and symptoms of prostatitis is waiting. Every patient hopes that the unpleasant symptoms are temporary and will soon disappear. Unprotected prostatitis is dangerous to health, leads to irreversible changes in the body, which are fraught with reduced erection mechanism, infertility or even worse - malignancy of the procedure (transition to cancer).
In order to avoid serious complications, every man at the first signs of prostatitis should consult a urologist who will prescribe treatment. First of all, men are given eotropic therapy - anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics are used, measures are taken to strengthen the immune system. There is no need for surgery in the absence of complications. Men who have had prostatitis in the past are at risk and there is a high chance of recurrence, so after recovery, a big role is given to prevention.