The problem of chronic prostatitis affects not only older men, but also young people who are just beginning to have sex. Inflammation of the prostate gland in the first months may manifest itself as a slight burning sensation and itching, to which the patient does not attach importance. But when inflammation becomes part of everyday life, it is no longer possible to ignore it. Exhausting pain, fatigue, decline in sexual activity are chronic companions of prostatitis.
What is chronic prostatitis?
Prostatitis is one of the most common diseases of the genitourinary system in middle-aged and elderly men. Treatment of chronic prostatitis consists of minimizing symptoms and achieving a state in which prostatitis does not affect reproductive function.
Prostatitis is characterized by inflammation of the prostate gland: an important organ of the reproductive system located in the upper section of the beginning of the urethra. When healthy, the prostate is responsible for producing a secretion that keeps sperm alive and creates an environment for them to survive until ejaculation. In chronic prostatitis, this function is impaired in an average of 70% of cases, which is why sperm for the most part become sluggish and non-viable. The chances of successful fertilization drop significantly even in the absence of other pronounced problems with the reproductive system. Complex treatment is required.
Chronic prostatitis develops in three forms:
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis. Painful symptoms either completely subside or return with a vengeance. Even at its peak, inflammation does not reach the intensity of acute prostatitis. Irritation of the prostate is caused by a third-party factor - pathogenic bacteria. Such prostatitis can disappear without diagnosis and comprehensive treatment: for example, if a man had a cold or a seasonal illness at the same time as inflammation. Antibiotics will suppress the activity of bacterial colonies, and the disease will recede. But the next time the immune system fails, chronic prostatitis will return and you will have to undergo treatment.
- Chronic abacterial prostatitis.According to research, chronic abacterial prostatitis remains one of the most common forms in men under 50 years of age. The disease often begins with a bacterial invasion: bacteria develop activity against a background of weakened immunity and are defeated. The consequence is depleted resources of the body, which is why inflammation returns in the future without the participation of bacteria. Abacterial chronic prostatitis is characterized by long phases with short, barely noticeable remission. A man with abacterial prostatitis may be convinced that the disease is in constant aggravation. The burning sensation is brighter than with bacterial forms - due to the fact that the disease does not allow you to relax and take a break from the pain. Treatment is with minimally invasive means. Advanced chronic prostatitis of a non-bacterial nature is treated in the surgeon's office.
- Chronic asymptomatic (asymptomatic) prostatitis.This form of prostatitis does not cause suffering to a man, but is dangerous as a hidden threat. Asymptomatic prostatitis occurs without pronounced symptoms. Burning in the prostate gland, itching, release of moisture and other signs of inflammation do not appear. At the same time, the inflammatory process affects reproductive function, which is why a man may consider himself infertile. Chronic asymptomatic prostatitis can only be detected using laboratory diagnostics. The tests will show increased bacterial activity, which is associated with the development of prostatitis in men. In combination with the release of white blood cells during urination, this will allow a diagnosis. Please note: a preventive examination by a urologist once a year may not be enough. Asymptomatic chronic prostatitis also has phases of activity, so it can be difficult to diagnose.
- Chronic granulomatous prostatitis.The rarest form of the disease, it develops as a side effect of drug treatment for other diseases or long-term radiation. The inflammatory process in this case is just a secondary symptom. Painful sensations are associated with the gradual destruction of prostate tissue, which is replaced by connective tissue. Degradation of the organ leads to a weakening of the function of the prostate until it stops completely. If left untreated, the process becomes irreversible.
Although chronic prostatitis is qualitatively different from the acute form of the disease, with complications it can turn into an acute phase, dangerous for the reproductive system. Sharp pain with a burning sensation in the prostate, high temperature, decreased immunity are signs that treatment of chronic prostatitis will have to be postponed. Call an ambulance or go to the hospital. First you need to stop the acute inflammatory process.
Causes
The impetus for the development of chronic prostatitis is usually a combination of factors, including the state of the body, the environment and heredity. If acute prostatitis can be prevented, then the development of chronic prostatitis is not so simple. Men who are naturally prone to prostate disease will experience an exacerbation of the disease in situations that do not affect men with more favorable heredity.
If you want to reduce the risk of developing chronic prostatitis, pay more attention to your health. Prostatitis is a disease that occurs against a background of weakness of the body. Among the common causes of chronic prostatitis:
- Sexual infections.They directly affect the prostate gland or weaken the immune system enough that the slightest irritation causes an inflammatory process. Infections are transmitted sexually through unprotected contact. Carriers may not know that they are infected: some infections appear only in men, although they are carried by women, and vice versa. The best preventive measure is hygienic contraceptives. Urologists recommend using condoms even during non-penetrative sexual intercourse - for example, during prostate stimulation.
- Passive lifestyle.Lack of physical activity causes chronic circulatory problems not only in the prostate, but throughout the entire pelvic area. If you have to spend most of the day sitting at your desk, don't forget to get up and stretch at least once every 1-2 hours. Light exercise, a walk around the office or stretching will restore normal blood circulation. On weekends, you can compensate for the workload of the work week with long walks or sports activity.
- Incomplete sexual intercourse, artificial prolongation of arousal or prolonged abstinence.The male reproductive system requires regular discharge. This is how sperm are renewed, and thanks to this, all organs are in permanent readiness for the reproductive process. What happens if a man regularly delays or prohibits himself from orgasm? The body accumulates more sperm and byproducts than it needs. The prostate gland also suffers: it produces unnecessary secretions that have nowhere to direct. If the situation is repeated constantly, the result may be chronic prostatitis.
- Regular hypothermia.It is believed that it is beneficial for men to freeze thoroughly - it strengthens the body. In fact, by being hypothermic while walking, riding a motorcycle or skiing, a man overloads the immune system. It is more difficult for the body to cope with bacterial activity, and the vulnerability of the prostate increases many times over. Under such conditions, it is easy to become a carrier of bacterial prostatitis, which will then turn into a non-bacterial or asymptomatic form.
- Chronic lack of sleep, depression, stress.Psychological factors combined with fatigue deplete the immune system and open the body to a whole group of chronic diseases. A man who does not get enough rest at night or is stressed after work is 2-3 times more likely to get prostatitis than a man who sleeps 8-10 hours a day and has a good rest with his family. At the first manifestations of the disease, it is important not to blame yourself and not to give in to gloomy thoughts: they will only worsen the condition. Go to the doctor immediately - and you will get rid of, if not the disease itself, then the unpleasant symptoms.
- Disturbances of hormonal activity.In chronic prostatitis, the functions of the prostate gland are impaired. Hormones are responsible for regulating the prostate and coordinating secretion with the functioning of the reproductive system. Even a slight hormonal imbalance can cause inflammation. In this case, the treatment of chronic prostatitis will have to be supplemented with hormonal therapy.
- Neglect of personal hygiene rules.Be careful: once is enough for bacteria to settle on the tissues. You may not notice the consequences of not following the rules of personal care for years, while the immune system protects the body from bacterial invasions. But one exacerbation against the background of a seasonal disease is enough for the problem of chronic prostatitis to enter a man’s life for many months.
The development of chronic prostatitis is often accompanied by a weakened immune system, poor diet, and lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. A man who leads a healthy lifestyle is less at risk of chronic prostatitis, even with a high genetic predisposition.
How to treat chronic prostatitis in men and what to do
If you suspect the development of chronic prostatitis, you must schedule a comprehensive examination with a urologist. In some cases, the doctor makes a diagnosis at the first visit, based on the nature of the disease and the patient’s indications. If prostatitis has not manifested itself before, the urologist will prescribe diagnostic procedures: ultrasound examination of the prostate, urodynamic examination. Laboratory tests include analysis of urine, ejaculate, urethral swab and prostate secretion.
After clarifying the diagnosis, the doctor will formulate a course of treatment. There is no single correct method of treating chronic prostatitis. Methods are selected in accordance with the type of chronic prostatitis, medical history and personal characteristics of the course of the disease.
Drug treatment
Prescribed in most cases for home treatment; if prostatitis is accompanied by acute exacerbations, the man may be admitted to the hospital. For bacterial forms of prostatitis, antibiotics are selected in accordance with the group of bacteria - identified during laboratory testing. Penicillins and fluoroquinolones remain the most popular antibacterial drugs in the treatment of chronic prostatitis with a bacterial nature.
For any form of chronic prostatitis, drugs from the group of alpha-blockers are prescribed. They relieve swelling, eliminating the feeling of pressure and unpleasant itching that prostatitis causes. These drugs also have a powerful analgesic effect: a man stops suffering from pain and burning, physical activity and night rest are normalized. Prostatitis occurs without pain or physical exhaustion.
When chronic prostatitis passes into an acute form, potent non-steroidal drugs are prescribed. They act directly on the inflammatory process and relieve symptoms, but do not treat the root cause of the disease.
Surgical methods
In recent years, doctors have been enrolling men with signs of chronic prostatitis less and less in the surgeon's office. The reason is the mixed effect of surgical manipulations and a long recovery period. The prostatitis stops, but the patient suffers from side effects, including impotence. At the same time, there are forms of chronic prostatitis in which surgical intervention is indispensable.
Resection of the prostate gland using the transurethral method (TUR) is the partial or complete removal of prostate tissue to relieve stress on the urinary system. With partial resection, the prostate retains all functions, while the inflammatory process goes away irreversibly and prostatitis does not return. The operation is performed without opening, regardless of the extent of inflammation. The resectoscope is directed to the inflamed organ without affecting other pelvic organs.
Adenomectomy is the removal of a gland for prostatitis in an "open" way, which is also known as prostatectomy. An advanced inflammatory process leads to the fact that it becomes impossible to get to the inflamed gland without opening it. In this case, conventional surgical instruments are used to completely remove the prostate. This is an extreme measure, which is prescribed only when other methods of treatment are impossible and there is a danger to the body. After a long period of rehabilitation, the man returns to a normal lifestyle with unlimited physical activity. Adenomectomy always ends in complete impotence. Prostatitis never recurs.
Minimally invasive treatment methods
In modern medicine, there are many ways to treat prostatitis in chronic forms that do not require surgical intervention. New techniques have proven to be more effective than traditional surgery, so they are used everywhere. Official medicine recognizes the following treatment methods:
- Exposure to ultrasonic waves.Prostatitis only affects the prostate gland, so UV treatment focuses radiation on this organ. Regular procedures reduce symptoms, relieve swelling and pain. The process is not accompanied by pain, does not cause irritation and is harmless to the genitourinary system.
- Thermal treatment.Prostatitis and its manifestations can be reduced to "no" by microwave thermotherapy. High temperatures are applied directly to the prostate, causing it to shrink in size. The method is not used if prostatitis has entered the acute phase: in this case, heating aggravates the condition.
- Cryodestruction.Painless partial removal of inflamed gland tissue with liquid nitrogen with a minimal recovery period. Chronic prostatitis goes away completely if antibacterial treatment is carried out in parallel with strengthening the immune system. Reproductive function is not affected, prostatitis has minimal chance of returning.
- Inductotherapy.Complex treatment with lasers and a magnetic field normalizes blood circulation, triggers regeneration processes and relieves pain due to inflammation. The technique in the case of prostatitis has an auxiliary effect: inductotherapy enhances the effect of drugs by one and a half to two times, but without drugs it gives a short-term result.
- Laser processing.If chronic prostatitis is accompanied by long phases of exacerbation, laser therapy is prescribed. The laser evaporates excess moisture, stopping the growing area of tissue damage by prostatitis. The treatment has a stimulating effect: the body's cells are activated, natural defenses are awakened and tissue regeneration occurs.
One of the new methods is mechanical expansion of the urethral walls. This method does not treat chronic prostatitis, but contributes to the almost complete disappearance of its symptoms. Reducing the area of contact promotes faster healing and prevents the spread of the lesion. To increase the space between the walls of the urethra, a catheter with an inflating balloon (balloon dilatation) or a cylindrical polymer frame (stenting) is inserted. Methods can be combined to achieve the desired result. The technique is not used if prostatitis has reached the acute stage.
How to treat
If you suspect prostatitis, you should first consult a doctor. Only on the basis of examinations will a urologist be able to confirm the chronic nature of the disease and prescribe treatment. Signs of inflammation of the prostate gland are similar to other diseases of the pelvic organs, so you should not self-medicate.
After diagnosis, follow your doctor's recommendations and undergo regular examinations with a urologist. Prostatitis can be treated with care and patience: do not neglect hygiene procedures during the acute phases of the disease, take medications by the hour, and the disease will recede.
If prostatitis causes severe suffering, ask your doctor to give you a referral for prostate massage or recommend a private clinic that provides this service. Massage enhances the effect of treatment. After the first session, you will notice that prostatitis is felt less acutely: massage movements relax the pelvic organs, bring relief, and trigger natural tissue restoration processes. The chronic nature of prostatitis will decrease significantly: signs of inflammation will bother you less often.
Men suffering from prostatitis should abandon traditional medicine for the entire course of treatment. Decoctions, poultices, compresses and other folk remedies do not treat prostatitis in specific forms. They can relieve discomfort or worsen the inflammatory process overnight.
The same applies to self-prescribing medications. Prostatitis is treated with drugs selected after comprehensive laboratory tests. A random remedy will not give the desired effect, even if it has helped hundreds of thousands of men with prostatitis - simply because you are in a different situation. The dosage, duration and even methods of using medications for chronic prostatitis are selected individually. If you are offered to buy a medicine that can treat prostatitis in any form, regardless of the cause, you should know: this is a fake. Follow your doctor's recommendations and stay healthy!