Prostatitis is a medical term that refers to a serious medical condition in men in which the prostate gland (a walnut-sized gland below the bladder) is inflamed. It ranges from a bacterial infection in the prostate gland to severe chronic pain syndrome. Patients can experience many symptoms, including fever, lower back, and perineal pain, painful or difficult urination, ejaculation obstruction, low libido or impotence, and pain in the groin.
Prostatitis can affect men of almost all ages but is more common in people aged 50 or younger. A medical author describes prostatitis as “a waste bin of clinical ignorance” as so many poorly identified syndromes in men are diagnosed as prostatitis. In such cases, doctors cannot identify the exact cause of prostatitis. It can be a quite frustrating situation for both patient and physician.
Explore the Major Variations of Prostatitis in Men:
Based on the symptoms and the nature of syndrome, prostatitis is classified into four major variations. It includes:
Acute Bacterial Prostatitis
This variation is less common in men and lasts for a short time. It is the easiest variation of prostatitis to diagnose. However, it can be life-threatening if treated well or left untreated.
Chronic Prostatitis (Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome)
It is the most common variation of prostatitis seen in men of all ages.
Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis
This variation commonly affects young and middle-aged people. Its symptoms are less intense and develop over the year. It can cause recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis
In this prostatitis variation, the prostate is inflamed but does not show any specific symptoms. Usually, it is located when a doctor is diagnosing another medical problem.
What are the Common Symptoms of Prostatitis in Men?
The prostate gland is a walnut-sized gland located just below the bladder. The urethra, which carries urine and semen, passes through the prostate gland. Prostatitis can be caused by bacterial infection, inflammation, or both.
Prostatitis is classified into four different variations; three can be diagnosed easily through their symptoms. But the fourth type, asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, can be diagnosed during a doctor visit for another health problem concern. Some common symptoms include:
- Urinary Urgency: A sudden urge to immediately empty your bladder
- Painful Urination: Discomfort or pain during or after urination
- Painful Ejaculation: Discomfort or pain during or after the release of semen
- Urinary Frequency: An often feeling to go to the bathroom to pee
- Nocturia: Having to wake up often at night to go to the bathroom.
How do Physicians Diagnose the Problem of Prostatitis in Men?
A physician diagnoses prostatitis based on the physical examination, medical history, and medical tests. During the physical examination, your doctor can also diagnose other medical conditions like prostate cancer. During physical diagnosis, your physician performs a digital rectal examination to check your prostate. Doctor look for:
- Inflamed or tender scrotum
- Discharge
- Irregular or tender lymph nodes in the groin
Your physician can also check your recent medical history, UTIs, medications and can ask for the symptoms that you experience. Certain medical tests can help doctors during diagnosis and treatment plans. They include:
- Urodynamic Tests: To check how the bladder and urethra stores the urine
- Cystoscopy: To get an insight of bladder and urethra and check any blockage
- Blood Test or Prostate Biopsy: To check prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
- Urinalysis and Semen Analysis: To check any infection
- Ultrasound: To get a closer look at prostate gland condition
All these tests can help your doctors to select the right treatment plan according to your medical condition.
What About the Complications and Danger Signs of Prostate Infection in Men?
Although prostatitis is a treatable medical condition, it can lead to serious issues if left untreated. These complications and issues include:
Urinary Retention: Prostate inflammation can lead to urinary retention. It happens because of excessive prostate swelling that compresses the urethra.
Epididymitis: It is a medical condition that can happen due to prostatitis. Epididymitis happens when bacteria enter the epididymis (a region close to the testis that stores and carries sperms).
Is Prostatitis Common in Growing Adults?
About 50% of men experience symptoms and signs of prostatitis at some level of their life. It is the most commonly experienced problem in men aged below 50 years. Also, it is the third most common medical issue in men aged above 50 years. According to statistics, more than two million men every year visit healthcare professionals with prostatitis signs and symptoms.
The prostate is a non-cancerous urinary tract problem and does not lead to prostate cancer. However, prostatitis infection or inflammation can raise PSA (Prostate Specific-Antigens) in the bloodstream. Prostate cancer also raises the PSA level in the body. Different tests are used to diagnose the exact reason due to which PSA level in the body is elevated.
Treatments to Cure Prostate Infection in Initial Stages:
Many medical treatments can help cure prostate infections in the initial stages. All these treatments can help to treat the causes and reasons that lead to prostatitis.
Pelvic Floor Therapy:
If your physician diagnoses your prostatitis is caused by a pelvic floor muscle problem, they may refer you to a physical therapist. A physiotherapist helps people to reduce and manage pain through certain physical activities and exercises. Your physiotherapist can also teach you breathing and relaxation techniques or massage pressure points (specific tender areas) in your pelvic floor.
The pelvic floor muscle region starts from the tail bone and extends to the pubic bone. These muscles work to manage and keep organs like the uterus, bladder, etc., in their place. In addition, these muscles also work as a barrier around lower part openings (urethra and anus). In some cases, prostatitis is caused by the weakening of these muscles.
Many factors like age, low physical activity, surgery, weight, heavy weight lifting, and constipation can weaken pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor muscle therapy can help to retain their strength through different pelvic floor exercises. Your physical therapist can develop a suitable exercise plan according to your prostatitis signs and symptoms.
Diet and Nutritional Tips:
Poor diet and eating habits have a direct link with pelvic floor muscle weakening that can lead to prostate muscle infection and inflammation. Try to limit the use of sugar and caffeine to improve pelvic muscle strength. You should include leafy vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain in your daily diet. It will improve your overall digestion, which will help to avoid constipation. Moreover, also try to add low-fat products to your diet and avoid taking high-fat food.
Kegel Techniques
Another method that your doctor can suggest for the treatment of prostatitis at the initial stage is the Kegel technique. It can be helpful to control pelvic floor muscle problems and UTIs. At the start, try to locate your pelvic floor muscles by shrinking your anus and stomach muscles one by one. Also, practice relaxing and squeezing pelvic floor muscles.
During lifting and squeezing of pelvic floor muscles, keep your thighs relaxed and don’t raise your buttocks. Practice the same procedure repeatedly, each for 10 seconds.
Medications Used to Cure Prostatitis:
Your doctor can prescribe some medications to treat the signs and symptoms of prostatitis. The physician can prescribe one or more combinations of medications. It would help if you used them with the suggestion of your physician; otherwise, you can face some side effects. These medications include:
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): Some physicians may prescribe NSAIDs for the treatment of prostate symptoms. There is no strong evidence that anti-inflammatory drugs help in the treatment of prostatitis symptoms, but some patients find them effective for reducing pain. You can take NSAIDs with your doctor’s consultation.
Alpha-Blockers: Some research shows that alpha-blockers can be helpful to improve urinary tract symptoms, particularly in men, including pain and urinary incontinence. If you don’t notice any improvement in four to six months, stop taking them by consulting your physician.
5-Alpha-Reductase Inhibitors: Some patients with prostatitis signs and symptoms experience that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors can help reduce urinary symptoms. The reason is that inhibitors shrink the prostate gland. This medicine can take up to four to six months to work.
Antibiotics: Although prostatitis is not caused by bacteria, antibiotics can be helpful to treat any undiagnosed infection and inflammation in the prostate gland.
Pain-Relieving Medicines: Pain-relieving medicines can be helpful to reduce pain and discomfort caused by inflammation in the prostate gland. You can use pain-relieving medicine like paracetamol for the treatment of pain. Your physician can prescribe suitable pain-relieving medicines according to your condition.
Other Pain Relief Medications: Other medicines can be used for the treatment of different signs and symptoms of prostatitis. Your physician can suggest anti-depressant medicine such as amitriptyline to treat chronic prostatitis pain. Some patients find these medications helpful for the treatment of chronic pain caused by prostatitis.
Counseling:
Different studies and researches show that there is a close link between CPPS and your feelings. Your feelings and thoughts related to your disease might affect your normal life.
Particularly, doctors suggest CBT for patients with prostatitis. CBT focuses on your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors to find ways how to deal with them and how they affect your life. It involves talking with an expert who helps you to deal with your feelings and problems in practicable ways. Patients with prostatitis can learn to manage their feelings and thoughts to get a better life.
Living with chronic prostatitis
It becomes hard to perform everyday tasks due to discomfort and pain. In some cases, you don’t get any warning before a flare-up.
It is quite normal to feel frustration and discomfort if you are living with long state prostatitis. Many people feel alone and don’t share their problems with anyone. Even some men living with prostatitis can experience depression and anxiety.
It is seen that depression and anxiety make your prostatitis condition worse. It is always a good idea to discuss your feelings and thoughts with your doctors if you are feeling depressed. It can be helpful because sometimes you feel better by talking to someone that understands your point.
You can ask your general physician to refer you to a physician who specializes in managing and treating prostatitis. In addition, your doctor can refer you to a counsellor and psychologist that can help you manage your thoughts and feelings. It will help you to understand and control your thoughts and emotions that arise due to prostatitis and live a normal life.
Final Verdict:
It is a wrong perception that prostatitis can lead to prostate cancer. Prostatitis is a medical condition in which the prostate gland is inflamed due to many reasons. Some certain signs and symptoms can help in the diagnosis of prostatitis. In addition, it is a non-contiguous medical condition and can be improved by proper diagnosis and treatment.
Visit your doctor if you are experiencing signs and symptoms of prostatitis. Its symptoms include pain or discomfort in urination, painful ejaculation, swelling around the groin, and lower back pain. It is important to diagnose this problem at its initial stage to start proper treatment. In some cases, it can lead to severe medical conditions if left untreated.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
How can prostatitis in men go away?
If the person has prostatitis, then there are more chances that it may be caused by the infection of bacteria. However, it can be recovered with the help of antibiotics. Also, it depends on the condition of this infection and how doctors suggest the patient treat it suddenly or gradually.
Can I recover from the issue of prostatitis by drinking more water?
Assuming you have BPH or prostatitis, put forth an attempt to decrease your caffeine admission by scaling back espresso, pop, or caffeinated drinks. Staying away from caffeine can have a major effect on your urinary well-being. One more significant beverage for you to recover your prostate is water. Remain hydrated, and don’t attempt to drink less to decrease your pee.
Is the problem of prostatitis serious about recovering?
You might have intense prostatitis, which should be surveyed and treated rapidly because it can lead to significant issues, for example, unexpectedly being not able to pee. In case you have industrious manifestations (ongoing prostatitis), you might allude to urinary specialist issues.
Would prostatitis be able to be restored suddenly?
Prostatitis can’t generally be restored quickly. However, its indications can be made due. Treatment and medications should need to be followed as per the doctor’s guidance until you feel much improved. Patients with prostatitis aren’t at a greater danger of getting prostate disease.