Causes and symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men

Chronic inflammation of the prostate gland occurs in men of any age.In most cases, the catalyst is an infectious factor: Trichomonas, staphylococci and gonococci.Bacteria entering the body cause inflammation of the urethral canal, the prostate gland itself.

The chronic form of prostatitis is often asymptomatic.The disease itself is determined only after the transition to the acute form.The late diagnosis is also explained by the fact that the first symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men are often ignored.

Statistics show a constant “rejuvenation” of the disease.Patients in their 30s are increasingly turning to urologists.

Chronic prostatitis: what is it?

The prostate gland is located under the bladder.The main functions are reduced to the protection of the urinary bladder from the entry of seminal fluid, as well as the production of prostatic secretion, a necessary component of male semen.Inflammation of the glandular tissue, caused by infections, congestion and other factors, gradually becomes permanent.

Chronic prostatitis leads to degenerative changes.The structure of the tissues gradually deforms.Often, against the background of inflammation, stones appear in the ducts.Some types of prostatitis cause the development of cancer.

An international classification system has been developed to facilitate differentiation between different prostate diseases.

Chronic prostatitis - causes

It is generally accepted that inflammation of the prostate gland is caused by two main factors: bacterial and non-bacterial.

The first is associated with the entry of pathogens and infections into the patient's body.Most often, the catalyst is sexually transmitted bacteria.

The second cause of onset is not associated with an infectious agent.The catalyst of inflammation can be:

• Hypothermia of the body.
• Hormonal imbalances associated with aging and irregular sexual life.
• Bad habits.
• Injuries to the pelvic organs.
• Stagnation caused by metabolic disorders and sedentary lifestyle.

After diagnosing prostatitis, it is necessary to determine the root cause of chronic prostatitis.The course of therapy is prescribed based on what exactly caused the inflammation.Bacterial and non-infectious prostatitis are treated differently.

Urologists name several additional factors that aggravate the situation and influence the severe course of the disease:

• Sexual abstinence.
• Less ejaculation (choose interrupted sexual intercourse as a contraceptive method).
• Stress.
• Bad habits: alcohol abuse and smoking.
• Bad nutrition.
• Inflammatory diseases suffered in the past.Often urethritis and cystitis act as the cause of prostatitis in chronic form.

Inflammation is accompanied by destructive changes in the prostate gland, which allows the disease to be classified into several categories.

Classification of chronic inflammation of the prostate

Varieties of prostatitis have received their own ICD-10 code: N41.To clarify the diagnosis and differentiate catalyst infection, a separate classification B95-B97 is used.The symptom rating scale divides the disease into different groups and subgroups:

• I - acute inflammation, accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature and fever.
• II - chronic prostatitis, caused by an infectious factor.
• III - class includes a disease in which pelvic pain syndrome begins to manifest itself.It is customary to distinguish two subgroups:
  1. IIIA - there are signs of an inflammatory process.Mild fever is maintained.
  2. IIIB - no inflammation.
• IV - prostatitis in which there are no symptomatic manifestations.Deviations from the norm are detected exclusively by instrumental diagnostic methods.

According to the ICD code:

• N41.1 is diagnosed with chronic prostatitis.
• N41.8 Inflammatory diseases of the prostate.
• N41.9 an exact diagnosis has not been made.

How chronic prostatitis manifests itself: its symptoms

The first signs of chronic prostatitis in men appear at an advanced stage of the disease.Often the initial development has no clinical manifestations.Symptoms, even if present, are temporary, short-term and of low intensity.

According to clinical manifestations, three stages of development of prostatitis are distinguished:

• Initial indirect signs of chronic prostatitis - as already noted, the onset of the disease is not expressed by clearly distinguishable symptoms.The manifestations are subtle or completely absent.Signs you should pay attention to: burning sensation during ejaculation, decreased potency, painful urination.
• Secondary signs of chronic inflammation of the prostate: at this stage, pathological changes in the structure of tissues, the appearance of scar-like formations and a decrease in genitourinary function occur.The stage is characterized by a sharp deterioration in potency and urination, increased sweating, severe pain in the pelvic area, lumbar spine and scrotum.
• Signs of advanced disease: The prostate stops working normally.Healthy tissues begin to metamorphose.The gland increases in size.Blood and pus appear in the urine, there is a constant feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder, and night trips to the toilet become more frequent.Erectile function decreases so much that we can talk about complete sexual impotence.

In addition to the symptoms characteristic of each stage of development, there are general signs that appear throughout the entire course of the disease.

Pain syndrome

Chronic prostatitis in the advanced stage of development has pronounced symptoms.The characteristic clinical manifestations are severe pain that does not disappear on its own and requires the use of analgesics and antispasmodics.

Pain syndrome accompanies the entire period of development of the disease.During the primary signs of prostatitis, discomfort and burning in the urethral canal are of low intensity and are therefore often ignored.Pain is often mistakenly attributed to radiculitis or fatigue.After relieving the pain or taking an antispasmodic, the symptom usually goes away.

Over time, the clinical picture becomes more intense.The pain syndrome manifests itself more intensely and persists after taking analgesics.Unpleasant sensations accompany every act of urination, defecation and ejaculation.

The pain radiates from the spine to the scrotum, sometimes to the limbs, and is accompanied by cramps and numbness.Skin rashes, itching and burning of tissues in the prostate and genital areas are a normal reaction of the body to internal inflammation.

Temperature increase

Chronic inflammation of the prostate gland in acute form is accompanied by heat and fever.There is a sharp increase in temperature, which reaches 39-40°.The indicators are stable.Body temperature does not decrease even after taking antipyretics.

Slow prostatitis is characterized by a mild fever.Constant indicators of chronic inflammation, within 37-37.2°.

It is strictly forbidden to lower the temperature and take medications on your own to reduce external manifestations!

Dysuria

The first signs of chronic prostatitis appear in various urination disorders.Over time, the symptoms become more intense, which helps to identify the disease.Manifestations of dysuria:

• Frequent urge to go to the bathroom at night.
• Sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder.
• Hematuria (blood in urine), purulent discharge.
• Pain during urination.

Clinical signs and the intensity of their manifestation directly influence the diagnosis and require additional mandatory research.Symptoms may indicate other inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, hyperplasia and oncology.

Pathologies of the genital organs

Chronic prostatitis leads to the appearance of scar formations that compromise the blood supply.Lack of nutrients leads to the following manifestations:

• Decreased potency: With chronic prostatitis, sexual disorders are observed.One of the characteristic symptoms is a normal erection, which decreases sharply during sexual intercourse.In the late stage stable potency occurs.
• Infertility: after the appearance of scars in the seminal ducts, the viability of sperm decreases.Inflammation changes the structure and composition of the ejaculate.In the advanced stage, the sperm thickens and lumps appear.
• Pain during sexual intercourse: discharge from the urethral canal is observed.Discomfort and painful symptoms are felt during sexual intercourse, especially during ejaculation.Often psychosomatic reasons lead to the patient's persistent impotence.

The main symptoms of chronic prostatitis: pain, increased body temperature, dysuria, dysfunction of the genital organs.When making a diagnosis, the intensity and duration of the period from the onset of clinical signs, as well as related symptoms, are taken into account.

How can chronic inflammation of the prostate be detected?

Prostatitis has no symptoms that can accurately differentiate the disease.Some genitourinary system disorders have similar symptoms.An accurate diagnosis can be made only after a comprehensive examination of the patient, including laboratory tests and methods of instrumental detection of the disease.

Suspecting the presence of disorders in the functioning of the pelvic organs, the urologist will prescribe a mandatory rectal examination.If tissue changes are detected on palpation, several laboratory tests are prescribed.

Laboratory research methods

Clinical blood and urine tests differentiate the presence of an inflammatory process and can often explain the catalyst for the development of the disease.When making a diagnosis, you will need additional information from the results of the following laboratory tests:

• Cytological and bacteriological analyzes of urine.The PSA level is established.Protein levels increase markedly with inflammation of the glandular tissue.
• I'll take a smear from the urethra.
• Microscopy of prostatic secretions: based on the results, malfunctions in the prostate gland are determined.Differentiate cancer from chronic tissue inflammation.Sowing of prostatic secretions is prohibited during the acute period of the disease, accompanied by high body temperature, exacerbation of hemorrhoids or fissures in the anus.
• Testing for sexually transmitted diseases (sexually transmitted infections): One of the common catalysts of inflammation of the prostate gland are pathogenic microorganisms.Trichomonas, staphylococci and gonococci can all cause the disease.Prostatitis develops during the active phase of bacterial proliferation and after the infection has already healed.

Laboratory tests are a mandatory component of the diagnosis of prostatitis and the subsequent choice of treatment method.

Instrumental detection of the disease

There are three main methods for testing for prostatitis.Each instrumental diagnostic method provides information on changes in the structure of the glandular tissue and has its own indications and contraindications:

• Tomography: MRI is often prescribed to diagnose chronic prostatitis.The study allows you to obtain a layer-by-layer image of the prostate.MRI signs accurately indicate chronic inflammation and also indicate the beginning of tissue degeneration into a malignant formation.Magnetic resonance imaging technology is absolutely harmless, but has contraindications due to the impossibility of studying patients with pacemakers, metal staples and shunts (remained during surgical operations).
• Transrectal TRUS is an informative method that reliably indicates the presence of inflammation.Ultrasound signs of structural changes in the prostate gland depending on the type of chronic prostatitis include: deviations from the norm in volume and size, structure and the presence of pathological formations.Ultrasound techniques are not prescribed in case of acute inflammation of the rectum, the presence of cracks in the anus or hemorrhoids.
• Ultrasound: the transabdominal technique has no contraindications.The method is less informative than TRUS and MRI.Ultrasound signs make it difficult to determine the space of the abdominal cavity.Diagnostic results are often controversial and require clarification.The advantage of ultrasound is the simplicity and speed of the study.

The accuracy of the ultrasound image largely depends on the experience of the doctor conducting the study.

Differential research of the disease

After receiving the results of clinical and biochemical studies, the symptoms of chronic inflammation of the prostate gland are evaluated.Common diagnostic standards that are valid throughout the world have been developed.

To facilitate the task of the urologist, the NIH-CPSI symptom index was invented, created in the form of a questionnaire or questionnaire.The doctor fills in the fields of the document and then makes a diagnosis.

There are computer programs based on the NIH-CPSI index.The doctor is required to fill out a questionnaire, and the system will independently conduct a summary assessment of the symptoms of chronic prostatitis.The effectiveness of the technique has been proven throughout the world.

After calculating the results of the questionnaire, when making the diagnosis, further evaluation of instrumental and clinical studies is taken into account: the presence of ultrasound signs of chronic prostatitis, an increase in the PSA level, the identification of an infectious marker by microscopy of secretions.The more data the urologist has, the more accurate the result will be.

What is dangerous in chronic prostatitis: its consequences

The consequences of chronic prostatitis in men are disorders in the functioning of the genitourinary system.These include:

• Impotence.
• Acute urinary retention.
• Infertility.

Fibrous changes accompanying advanced disease cause the development of oncology.Normal tissues degenerate into malignant tissues.Therefore, preventing functional changes in the prostate gland in order to prevent the development of cancer is an extremely important task for the urologist.

When making a diagnosis, the presence of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, a harbinger of oncology and fibrous changes, is taken into account.Advanced disease often leads to the need for surgery: prostatectomy.

Diagnosis of prostatitis and differentiation of the disease from related disorders of the pelvic organs is an important task for doctors and patients.The detection of the first symptoms depends entirely on the man himself.If you experience discomfort when urinating, decreased erection, or persistent low-grade fever, these are reasons to seek professional medical attention immediately.Lateness is dangerous!