Prostatitis is a pathology that occurs as an infectious and inflammatory process in the prostate (prostate), affecting its glandular and connective tissues.
The prostate, an organ of the glandular structure located under the bladder in the urethra, is of great importance for the health and functioning of the man's body. Inflammation has an effect in reducing testosterone synthesis in the testicles, as a result of decreased libido and weakened erectile function. At the first signs of prostatitis, problems arise when urinating, discomfort, pain during orgasm.
Treatment of prostatitis was started in the 19th century, when there was a tendency for this disease to grow. The disease is purely male, since the prostate is an organ located in the man's body. This disease mainly affects representatives of the age group over 40, but medical statistics say that in recent years the disease has become significantly "younger": among men aged 25 to 28, prostatitis is detected in 30% ofcases. However, the peculiarity of the diagnosis and the probability of a latent course of the disease suggest that this value is much higher. Only a quarter of men aged 22 to 50 years undergo medical examinations, including by a urologist who diagnoses prostatitis in 15% of that number.
Complications
If prostatitis treatment is not started in time, several complications can arise, characterized by:
- bladder obstruction with acute urinary retention that requires surgical treatment;
- transition from prostatitis from the acute stage to the chronic course;
- development of some form of male infertility;
- recurrent cystitis;
- narrowing, healing of the urethra;
- pyelonephritis, other renal pathologies;
- prostate abscess requiring surgical intervention;
- sepsis that threatens the patient's life (is more susceptible to patients with weak immunity, diabetes mellitus, renal failure).
Important to know!The pathology can lead to prostate cancer (seen in 7% of men over 50 years old), which can seriously worsen a man's life or even lead to death.
Reasons for the development of pathology
Prostatitis has several types, determined by the causes of the disease.
The main factors that cause the appearance of prostatitis are the following:
- Infections.Bacteria enter the prostate in several ways and routes. Young men who have sex without contraception (condoms) are at high risk of disease due to the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms (chlamydia, mycoplasma, etc. ). In addition, the appearance of prostatitis occurs as a result of any internal chronic illness. Harmful bacteria reach the prostate through the flow of lymph or blood. Pathological microorganisms can also "descend" into the prostate through the urethra. So the disease is caused by diseases of the urinary system (urethritis, pyelonephritis) with weakened immunity.
- Stagnant processes.They are manifested in obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, since the microcirculation of blood in Organs pelvic organs is impaired. As a result, the required amount of oxygen and nutrients does not reach the prostate.
- Injuries.Due to mechanical damage to the tissues and organs of the small pelvis (OMT), congestion can occur, causing an inflammatory process. These cases are often found among truck drivers due to professional activities associated with sitting for a long period and constant injuries from a chair hitting an HT.
Doctors' opinion. Urologists are confident that prostatitis is not a lifelong diagnosis. If the treatment did not give a quick result, the man should not give up and think if he followed all instructions. Only joint actions and efforts of the doctor and the patient, who are confident in the success of the therapy, will help a man to feel healthy and therefore full.
Types of prostatitis
The classification of prostatitis by type provides the following parameters.
Etiology. According to the origin, the disease is:
- infectious (specific and non-specific);
- non-infectious congestive (the reason lies in processes of stagnation associated with long interruptions in sexual intercourse, interrupted sexual intercourse, bad habits, stress, regular hypothermia).
Pathological feature, subdivided into the following subspecies:
- catarrhal
- ; follicular
- ;
- parenchymal;
- prostate abscess (may manifest as a complication of prostatitis in the form of dystrophic, fibrocystic, granulomatous and prostate sclerosis).
Clinical course. Prostatitis can be acute or chronic.
Pathogenesis. According to the appearance and development of the disease, prostatitis can be:
- hematogenous
- ; urethrogenic
- ; canalicular
- ;
- calculating; allergic
- ;
- endocrine.
Symptoms and signs of prostatitis
Symptoms of prostatitis can be latent and obvious.
The disease is classified in the following ways:
- Sharp.The disease has a sudden development, expressed in an increase in body temperature (up to 39 ° C), severe pain in cutting with irradiation to the back and groin. Ejaculation, defecation and urination are accompanied by sharp pain and, at times, bleeding. This is a serious reason to contact a urologist.
- Chronic.The symptomatic picture is almost imperceptible, although it is similar to the clinical picture of acute prostatitis. There may be slight increases in temperature, discomfort in the groin and during urination. The main symptom of the chronic form of prostatitis is the frequent urgency to go "on a small scale", secretion from the urethra. Over time, the patient registers the problem of erectile function due to the transition from the inflammatory process to the nerves responsible for erection, premature ejaculation. The general health and condition of the patient are negative, expressed in frequent irritability, depression, discontent, psychological breakdowns.
- Stagnant.This form of the disease affects men who are inactive and have irregular sex. The course of the disease is expressed in a violation of the genitourinary system. For the onset of the disease, inflammation of the excretory tract, detachment of the epithelium, causing the appearance of pain when urinating are characteristic. In severe cases, the urethra stops functioning completely. The erection is also impaired, the orgasm is weak and not expressed. In general, the development of sexual dysfunction occurs at a rapid pace. The stagnant form of prostatitis is also characterized by burning and itchy symptoms in the perineum, in the urethra. Body temperature is high, there are signs of intoxication.
How symptoms of prostatitis are detected
Only the urologist is able to make an accurate diagnosis of a patient, but according to the signs existing in the genitourinary system and observed by a man, they can serve as a signal for an urgent appeal to a specialist. This applies to:
- an act of defecation, accompanied by unpleasant sensations;
- burning sensation in the perineum for short and long periods;
- of frequent need to urinate, but the process itself is painful and difficult;
- weak orgasm effect (also called "blacked out orgasm");
- increased fatigue and often for no apparent reason;
- decreased erectile function;
- regular stressful condition.
Important to remember!Detecting these symptoms requires an immediate visit to a doctor to influence the disease from the beginning. The development of chronic prostatitis occurs in an unexpressed way, but it is fraught with consequences and complications.
Diagnosis of diseases
Prostatitis in men is mainly diagnosed based on the analysis of patient complaints. With the help of a specially designed questionnaire, the doctor discovers and studies the symptoms of the disease.
Other diagnostic measures are performed:
- study of the composition of prostate secretion (if there is no acute form of the disease: it is impossible to perform the procedure with it due to severe pain);
- palpation rectal examination;
- ultrasound examination of the prostate to confirm the suspicion of prostatitis and make an accurate diagnosis;
- biopsy;
- tomography (computed / magnetic-nuclear) of the small pelvis - if necessary;
- cystoscopy;
- urography.
In addition, men are subjected to some general tests that can clarify the disease picture:
- uroflowmetry;
- urine sample, measured in three cups; study
- by Mears & Stamey, measured with two cups of urine (the first portion excludes urethral contamination (infection, infection), the second - determines the absence / presence of an inflammatory process in the kidneys, bladder);
- urine sample to determine its residual volume, ultrasound of the prostate;
- analysis of clinical urine;
- medium portion of urine for microbiological examination.
Diagnosis requires differentiation from prostatitis with cystitis, urethritis, prostate adenoma and prostate cancer.
A man must abstain from sexual intercourse for five days before an ultrasound examination is scheduled. On the eve of this day, a cleaning enema should be applied and, before entering the ultrasound room, urinate.
How prostatitis is treated
There is no standard treatment for prostatitis. A comprehensive therapeutic approach prescribed by a doctor is carried out individually and has adjustments in its process for greater effectiveness. When treating the prostate, the form of the disease is taken into account. For example, the acute form is easier to cure than the chronic form.
Prostatitis is mainly treated conservatively and on an outpatient basis.
An integrated approach is:
- Antibacterial therapy (cleaning of places infected with bacteria).
- Improve the blood supply to the prostate (massage, physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises).
The use of physiotherapy methods is carried out with the following objectives:
- Alleviation of the inflammatory process (by means of anti-inflammatory methods), pain reduction (by means of analgesic methods).
- Reduction of stagnant processes, changes in the sclerotic nature in the future (by defibrillation treatment methods).
- Strengthening of the body's protective properties (through immunostimulating methods).
Treatment of prostatitis is usually done in conjunction with prostate massage. The procedure, due to its delicacy, is often considered humiliating by men, but it has very good effectiveness. Prostate massage can be performed at home, but it is necessary to purchase a special hardware device.
Medication for the treatment of prostatitis
The therapeutic approach is performed through the administration of drugs. The treatment regimen uses antibiotics, as only they are able to destroy the agents that cause the disease. What medications to take, the doctor decides based on the results of analyzes and studies. The patient, waiting for the appointment of an appropriate antibiotic, takes medications for anesthesia, anti-inflammatories and other directions.
Antibiotic therapy involves the use of acceptable doses and routes of administration. The ideal dose of an antibiotic is considered to have doubled or tripled the "efforts" against the concentration of pathogens.
In the case of chronic prostatitis, which usually occurs on the basis of immunodeficiency, antibiotic therapy is performed in conjunction with immunocorrective medications.
The best massage for treatment is sex
Doctors believe that the natural form of massage in the treatment of prostatitis is orgasm obtained during sex. Sperm ejaculation occurs with active muscle contraction in the anus, which is also effective for the prostate: it is massaged successfully during this. Many have heard that it is forbidden to have sex during the entire treatment period, but this is not true. The main thing is, if possible, not to change ex-partners (so that the microflora "does not conflict"), not to interrupt or prolong sexual intercourse.
In the absence of a sexual partner, doctors recommend masturbation to free the prostate and seminal ducts from stagnant processes. Horror stories about the dangers of masturbation should be considered jokes, but you should not forget moderation and personal hygiene.
It is impossible to overcome prostatitis with sex and medication, you must lead an active lifestyle, have adequate rest and nutrition, sleep well, avoid stressful situations. Alternative methods of treatment are also welcome, but are applied after consulting a doctor.
Important to know!Taking antibiotics also includes probiotics to prevent cases of dysbiosis and other negative aspects.
Surgical treatment of the prostate
Surgical treatment is used for advanced stages of prostatitis:
- with disease progression;
- in case of abscess inside the prostate;
- for cysts or narrowing.
These situations require radical solutions to eliminate the inflammatory process.
The type of operation used takes into account aspects of the disease, the patient's condition.
The operations prescribed by a doctor are divided into types, namely:
- Transurethral resection. During surgery, closed removal of the prostate is performed through a tube inserted through the urethra.
- Transurethral incision.The tissue near the bladder neck is cut, relieving pressure on it. This operation is indicated for men with a slight enlarged prostate. Practically no complications arise, patients recover quickly.
- Radical prostatectomy.In that case, the entire prostate is removed. This type of operation is difficult, traumatic, accompanied by significant blood loss.
Traditional medicine for the treatment of prostatitis
Alternative medicine offers more than a hundred recipes designed to fight prostatitis, relieve symptoms and complement conventional treatments. It is worth remembering that not all the proposed options may be suitable for a person with a certain form of the disease, some may cause an allergic reaction and other complications.
We offer several proven, popular and effective recipes:
- Pumpkin seeds.They contain a lot of zinc, which the male body needs. A man should eat 30-35 raw seeds a day for preventive and therapeutic purposes. You can make special balls from crushed seeds in a blender (without peel), mixed with honey (200 ml). From the resulting mass, walnut-sized mold balls, place in the refrigerator. Eat 1 ball twice a day, half an hour before meals, chewing slowly, sucking in the healing juices from it. Powerful and effective, it can be used once a year.
- Vegetable and fruit juices.Help the body produce more uric acid. Natural juices freshly squeezed from cucumbers, carrots and asparagus are especially successful at this. They can be drunk mixed, varying the proportions of each to your taste. It is necessary to consume more than half a liter of fluids a day in several doses.
- Natural honey.Just as bee products have proved to be excellent in the treatment of prostatitis. The herbal medicine based on them has a powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. For example:
- Propolis candles.40 g of propolis is evaporated in a glass of alcohol, then this extract (0, 1 g) is mixed with two grams of rye flour and cocoa. Candles are formed, inserted into the rectum before a night's sleep for a month.
- Propolis tincture.20% tincture (40 drops) diluted in water (100 ml), taken before meals for 20 minutes.
- Herbal infusion with honey.It is used for acute prostatitis. Marigold flowers (30 g), horsetail grass (25 g), elecampane root (15 g), dioecious nettle leaves, medicinal sage, mint (10 g of each plant) are crushed and mixed. Then, take three tablespoons of the resulting mixture and pour them with half a liter of boiling water. Insist on a thermos for three hours, strain, add honey to taste, drink a third of a glass three times a day, half an hour before meals.
- Red root decoction.Chopped root (25 g) is poured with a liter of boiling water, leave for an hour in a thermos, drink three times a day before meals for a third of a cup. You can add milk, dear. This tea is recognized as the best remedy for prostatitis.
- Pharmacy chamomile.10 g are poured into 100 ml of very hot water, infused for half an hour, filtered. Used as a solution for microclysters (70-80 ml).
- Wild pear.Patients notice the effect a few days after starting to drink tea / pear jam. With prolonged use, there is almost complete cure for prostatitis. Fruits and leaves are used not only fresh, but also dried to make a potion in the winter. This drink is an excellent preventive measure.
The list of folk recipes is endless, but only one doctor will recommend in each case one or more important recipes in an integrated approach to treatment.
Prostatitis prevention
Measures to prevent diseases and chronic recurrences are based on:
- active and healthy lifestyle;
- plays sports, physical education;
- smoking cessation, alcohol consumption;
- having sex with a partner (promiscuity in relationships leads to sexually transmitted infections that cause prostatitis);
- having regular sex life and achieving ejaculation;
- regular monitoring (twice a year) by a urologist;
- timely treatment of urological diseases;
- a balanced diet;
- respect for your own health.