Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland. It is one of the most common diseases in men. Mostly men over 30 years of age get sick. If left untreated, the disease progresses rapidly and causes serious complications - infertility, impotence and cancer.
Most often, prostatitis is manifested as painful urination, purulent and bloody discharge in the urine, and sexual dysfunction.
The prostate is an organ that produces sperm and regulates urination. It is located below the bladder. consists of three sections. During ejaculation, the prostate gland begins to contract, pushing the seminal fluid into the urethra. The gland is involved in limiting urinary incontinence, forming an erection, and producing sperm.
Prostate juice contains a large amount of proteins, fats, enzymes and even some vitamins. The juice dilutes the seminal fluid, thereby promoting sperm viability. The prostate gland is an active organ. It depends on the hormonal level and participates in the formation of sex hormones.
Reasons
It is difficult to determine the exact reason that caused the development of prostatitis in a particular person. Most likely, it will be a complex of factors that caused the problem to one degree or another.
Consider the causes and factors that contribute to the development of prostatitis:
- Hypothermia and stress. The body's defenses decrease, which contributes to the emergence of inflammatory processes.
- Hormonal imbalance. The level of sex hormones affects the activity of the prostate gland.
- Sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections.
- Various disorders of mechanisms in the body: urinary disorders, pelvic swelling. A hypodynamic lifestyle and tight underwear prevent blood circulation in the pelvis. Urinary problems contribute to the irritation of the gland tissue and cause prostatitis. Constipation can also be considered a predisposing factor.
- Prolonged abstinence from intercourse, cessation of intercourse or artificial prolongation of intercourse. This causes the gland to enlarge and become inflamed.
- Poor nutrition and alcohol abuse.
Infection of the prostate gland can occur in 4 ways:
- Descending - enters with the flow of urine.
- Ascending - rises along the urethra.
- Lymphogenic - with the flow of lymph.
- Hematogenous - with blood flow.
Symptoms and signs of prostatitis
Symptoms of prostatitis can vary. According to the nature of the course, acute and chronic prostatitis are distinguished.
Common symptoms of prostatitis include:
- urination problems - frequent, intermittent and difficult;
- deterioration of erection;
- burning sensation in the groin;
- Urine is cloudy and contains fibers;
- Orgasm is not clear;
- increased fatigue;
- reduced potency;
- Depression, anxiety.
Acute prostatitis most often begins with an increase in body temperature to 39-40 degrees. The prostate gland is swollen, causing problems with urination. It is difficult and accompanied by pain.
During the exacerbation of prostatitis, the patient has pains in the perineum, as well as in the rectum, groin and palate.
Acute prostatitis can be catarrhal, follicular and parenchymal. Features of acute prostatitis:
- Acute follicular prostatitis is characterized by weak flow pressure during urination. It is accompanied by severe pain that can spread to the anal area, especially during defecation. A slight increase in temperature is possible.
- Acute parenchymal prostatitis is characterized by sudden, throbbing pain in the perineum. Intoxication of the body is observed, the temperature can reach 40 degrees. It is often accompanied by urinary retention.
- Catarrhal acute prostatitis causes pain in the perineum, frequent urination and pain during urination.
Chronic prostatitis can develop in an acute form, but more often it immediately turns into a chronic form. Symptoms are removed, without clear signs and manifestations.
Symptoms and signs caused by chronic prostatitis:
- decrease in erection and libido;
- decrease in flow pressure during urination;
- cramps and pain during urination;
- Painful pain in the perineum, anus, scrotum.
Since the signs of chronic prostatitis are not clearly expressed, the patient often does not pay attention to the symptoms for a long time, which aggravates its development and can cause complications.
Diagnosis of prostatitis
Medicine does not stand still and diagnosing prostatitis is not difficult. After collecting the anamnesis, the doctor may prescribe different diagnostic methods to confirm the diagnosis of prostatitis.
- Prostate palpation through the rectum to diagnose prostatitis. It reveals pain and increased size, and these are characteristic signs of the inflammatory process in it, and during palpation, the secretion of the prostate gland is released, which is sent for analysis.
- Ultrasound examination.
- Microscopic examination of prostate secretion.
- Bacteriological examination of urine.
- Smears of mucous membranes and glandular secretions for infection.
- Urethral smear analysis to detect sexually transmitted infections that can cause prostatitis.
- Blood test to determine sex hormones.
These diagnostic measures help not only to confirm the diagnosis, because the symptoms are generally quite pronounced, but also to identify the cause of the disease.
Treatment of prostatitis
Currently, there are many treatment options for prostatitis. Among them are traditional methods and methods of folk medicine. Traditional medicine can become an addition to the main therapy. Self-treatment of prostatitis is dangerous, as it can lead to complications.
Doctors always resort to the traditional, curative method of treating prostatitis. It helps to reduce swelling, acute inflammation and normalize the functioning of the prostate gland.
As a rule, a complex of different methods is prescribed:
- Rectal suppositories. reduces pain and relieves inflammation;
- injections;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Instillation - the drug is injected directly into the prostate;
- microlenses;
- Tablet drugs. Most often, antibacterial drugs;
- alpha-blockers.
The set of therapeutic measures is selected individually, depending on the degree of the disease, the manifestation of symptoms and the expected therapeutic effect for the patient.
If the bacterial cause of prostatitis is identified, then broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed, which can destroy several strains of bacteria. They can be in the form of suppositories, tablets and injections.
Painkillers are used to relieve pain.
Alpha-blockers - help to relax the muscles of the urethra, which is the result of prostatitis. Various muscle relaxants are used to relieve tension in the perineum area.
A necessary step will be to improve blood circulation to remove swelling and get vitamins.
Various physiotherapeutic procedures and prostate massage are mandatory for the treatment of prostatitis. Prostate massage is used for all forms and stages of the development of the disease, improves blood circulation and removes the pathogenic environment from the urethra.
Some scientists are skeptical of this method of treating prostatitis and claim that the pathogenic environment penetrates more into the urinary system and contributes to the inflammation of other organs. Experiments are currently being conducted, this point of view has not been clinically disproved or confirmed, so massage is an integral method of prostatitis treatment.
Traditional treatment at home
Traditional medicine is often used at home for prostatitis. If chronic prostatitis is diagnosed, then additional therapy with folk remedies will be very useful. In case of acute manifestations of prostatitis, it will not be superfluous, although only home treatment is unacceptable.
Among the popular methods can be called quite effective:
- Treatment of prostatitis with pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds contain a large amount of zinc, which is essential for men, regardless of whether they have prostatitis or not.
- Treatment of prostatitis with parsley - helps to relieve inflammation and normalize sexual function. Contains a large amount of vitamins.
- Treatment of prostatitis with infusions of hemlock and celandine. This method should be used with caution, as these plants are poisonous and strict adherence to dosage and dosing regimen is necessary.
- Treatment of prostatitis with wormwood. It is used to relieve inflammation and remove purulent infection.
- Treatment of prostatitis with garlic, dill, nuts, chestnuts, propolis, herbs, etc. Sh.
Most of these methods are aimed at alleviating inflammatory processes and normalizing sexual function. A large number of different vitamins saturates the body, which plays a role in the prevention of prostatitis exacerbation.
Consequences of prostatitis
If you refuse and prostatitis treatment is not started on time, there is a high probability of developing serious complications. Among the complications:
- infertility;
- impotence;
- BPH;
- Prostate cancer and others.
If treatment is refused, the infection is more likely to penetrate into nearby tissues. Other prostate diseases can also develop, including stones and cysts.
During prostatitis, the level of sex hormones decreases, which leads to a decrease in sexual desire (libido). Erectile dysfunction begins and premature ejaculation may occur. Impotence is possible.
Prostatitis also causes infertility. This problem is especially common in patients who have developed chronic prostatitis. This complication is observed in half of these patients.
Sclerosis of the prostate gland may develop. In this case, the gland partially or completely ceases to function. This problem is accompanied by severe pain, sexual dysfunction and urination problems.
Prostate adenoma and prostate cancer are the most dangerous complications of prostatitis.
Problems and complications caused by prostatitis, in one way or another, affect a man's sex life. This causes psychological problems, stress and depression.
It is important to carefully monitor symptoms in order to recognize chronic prostatitis in time.
Prevention of prostatitis
Prevention of exacerbations is aimed at health monitoring and timely detection of problems. Since in most cases prostatitis is the result of untreated diseases of the urogenital system, great attention should be paid to the treatment of such diseases.
Prostatitis is considered a disease that is easier to prevent than to cure.
The most important of the preventive methods are:
- Sports activities. They serve to improve blood circulation in the pelvis, prevent swelling and strengthen the pelvic muscles.
- regular sex life. Medicines to artificially prolong sexual intercourse, interrupt intercourse and suppress ejaculation are undesirable.
- Rejection of usury. A violent sex life leads to the development of sexually transmitted infections.
- Correct, healthy diet.
- Refusal of alcohol.
- Strengthening the body's defenses, preventing hypothermia.
- Minimize stress.
Prostatitis has a low rate of self-healing or home treatment. Therefore, at the first signs, you should immediately consult a urologist in order to prescribe adequate treatment. It is also necessary to carefully monitor signs that indicate chronic prostatitis and consult a doctor in time.