One of the most common diseases among men is prostatitis, ICD-10 code is 41. What kind of disease is prostatitis? The spread of the disease is facilitated by a sedentary lifestyle, addiction to cigarettes and alcohol, and consumption of excessive amounts of fatty and salty foods.
Like most diseases, prostatitis is easiest to treat in its early stages. The difficulty is that inflammation of the gland practically does not manifest itself for a long time. The disease is most often diagnosed in the later stages, or during seasonal exacerbation. How to identify signs of prostatitis in men and its symptoms will be discussed in the article below.
What is the prostate
The prostate is a small organ located under the urethra.The importance of this organ is difficult to overestimate, because it is responsible for normal urination and male strength. The shape and size of the prostate resembles a walnut; with age, the gland can increase in size.
Prostate tissue has a glandular and muscular structure, the glands are responsible for the production of hormones and prostatic juice, and the muscles regulate the size of the lumen of the urethra.
The likelihood of developing the disease increases with age. According to statistics, the majority of patients suffering from prostate inflammation are men of retirement age.
However, in recent years, the disease has been diagnosed in men whose age does not exceed 30 years. In total, prostatitis of one type or another is present in 30% of the male population.
In order to avoid the unpleasant consequences of the disease, it is important for a man to pay attention to his well-being and not ignore the appearance of alarming signals indicating the presence of an illness.
The best treatment for prostatitis is done as early as possible, so it is important to be aware of the characteristic symptoms of the disease. What symptoms can be used to determine the presence of problems with men's health?
Causes of prostatitis development
What is prostatitis in men? The prostate is a rather vulnerable organ; numerous negative aspects can provoke inflammation of the gland. If we talk about the reasons for its appearance, there are two types of illness: bacterialAndviral.
Bacterial prostatitis, caused by pathogenic bacteria entering the prostate tissue. Most often, microorganisms enter the body along with urine residues or through the circulatory system. The pathology occurs unexpectedly and progresses rapidly, body temperature rises, and the man feels severe pain in the groin.
If the patient ignores these symptoms, the outcome can be very unfavorable, even fatal. With chronic bacterial prostatitis, the symptoms will be expressed in severe pain during exacerbations.
Infectious (bacterial) prostatitis. The causative agent of the disease in this case is a virus. The most common pathogens are influenza viruses, rubella, cytomegalovirus and papillomavirus. This type of disease is rare and is characterized by fever, aching joints or profuse skin rashes.
Various factors can provoke the development of the disease:
- Complications of previous diseases;
- Hypothermia of the pelvic organs;
- The presence of a chronic infection in the female partner;
- Urethral reflux - if the prostate does not prevent the reverse flow of urine, a bacterial infection enters the surface of the gland and inflammation begins;
- Inconsistent intimate life. Long-term abstinence and excessive sexual activity have equally negative effects;
- Stagnation of blood in the genitourinary system - may appear against the background of hemorrhoids or other diseases;
- Hormonal imbalance. If the gland produces an insufficient amount of male hormones, muscle tone gradually weakens and erectile dysfunction occurs;
- Weakened immunity;
- Regular stress and lack of sleep;
- The practice of coitus interruptus, the deliberate prolongation of sexual intercourse.
Most often, the first signs of prostatitis are characterized by difficulty urinating and pain in the penis.
Unfortunately, most men prefer to ignore this alarming signal from the body. A visit to a urologist is postponed until later; treatment, at best, is limited to taking pills recommended by a friend or colleague. As a result of this approach, inflammation progresses to the chronic stage.
Painful sensations are not so intense, and the man thinks that everything has improved. In fact, the process continues, and soon a series of problems in the intimate sphere and regular exacerbations of prostatitis begin.
It becomes more difficult to choose an effective medicine for prostatitis in men; treatment at this stage will cost much more, and therapy will take a lot of time. Therefore, it is important not to ignore the first signs of the disease; if you have difficulty urinating or discomfort in the groin area, you should immediately visit a doctor.
Since prostatitis syndromes in men are not always pronounced, it is recommended to check the condition of the gland regularly, at least once a year. A timely visit to a urologist will help avoid unpleasant consequences and complications.
Types of prostatitis
Modern medicine has successfully identified many undeniable signals of inflammation of the prostate gland in men. The choice of treatment strategy is determined by the type of disease.
Practitioners distinguish two main types of the disease:
- Acute prostatitis.This type of disease is quite simple to diagnose, since the inflammatory process manifests itself very noticeably and is quite pronounced. The cause of inflammation is the presence of pathogenic flora. The disease can be treated quite successfully with appropriate antibiotics;
- Chronic prostatitis.When acute inflammation of the gland was not cured or no therapy was carried out at all, the disease takes on a chronic form. The pronounced symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men become fewer, and even those can be noticed only during exacerbation (most often this happens in spring or autumn).
Often, chronic prostatitis is preceded by the onset of nagging pain, but more often the disease develops without any visible symptoms; this course of inflammation is observed in people engaged in sedentary work (office workers, drivers).
The cause of inflammation is poor circulation in the genitourinary system, which occurs with a lack of physical activity and prolonged sexual abstinence.Everyone should know which symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men are the most common, since the success of treatment depends on this.
If there are signs of bacterial prostatitis, expressed in general intoxication of the body, treatment will be based on the use of antibiotics. If inflammation is caused by stagnation of blood and lymph, the main focus will be on adjusting lifestyle and eliminating concomitant diseases.
Classification of prostatitis symptoms
How does the disease manifest itself? Typically, all unpleasant symptoms signaling the presence of disturbances in the functioning of the prostate gland are divided into three main groups:
- All kinds of deviations from the norm observed in the urinary system;
- Difficulties arising in the intimate sphere;
- Severe signs of depression caused by a decrease in the amount of male hormones and sexual impotence.
All these symptoms can occur in the very first stages of inflammation of the gland. Over time, the symptoms will become more and more pronounced, and more serious diseases may develop in the future.
First signs of inflammation
The most common primary sign of prostatitis is regular aching pain in the lower abdomen. At the same time, the nature and localization of unpleasant sensations can be very diverse. A man feels periodic cutting pain when urinating, but in some cases the pain is felt constantly.
Acute prostatitis occurs more noticeably; often the manifestations of this form of the disease greatly interfere with normal life activities. Exacerbations of the chronic form of the disease occur infrequently, and during the recovery period after treatment, symptoms may completely disappear.
With prostatitis, pain is usually localized in the groin area. Unpleasant sensations arise not only in the perineum - both the lower back and the lower abdomen can hurt. When urinating and ejaculating, a man feels discomfort in the scrotum, penis and testicles.
Difficulty urinating
One of the most alarming symptoms is problems with urination. The following characteristic signs should alert a man:
- The need to urinate too often;
- Discomfort caused by insufficient emptying of the bladder;
- Unreal urge to urinate;
- The stream during urination has low pressure and is often interrupted.
When the disease is in an advanced stage, prolonged urinary retention can often be observed. This symptom indicates active inflammation of the prostate gland, and severe tissue swelling may also be observed.
Urine simply does not pass through the urethra. Traces of inflammation can often be seen in the urine. Pathological impurities have the form of mucous threads, most often they can be seen in morning urine. Often this symptom is the only manifestation of the disease, this is especially true for the chronic form of the disease.
If prostatitis is not treated on time, in most cases, prostate adenoma develops (proliferation of gland tissue and the formation of nodes and tumors in them).
Urinary incontinence coupled with pain are the first signs of prostatitis, so when they appear, you cannot put off a visit to the urologist. The doctor prescribes several tests (for example, a general PSA blood test for prostatitis).
Intimate problems
Perhaps the most unpleasant symptom of prostatitis for men is sexual dysfunction. This manifestation of the disease usually appears at the stage of actively progressing inflammation. Most often, sexual dysfunction is a manifestation of old inflammation.
The most common symptoms are as follows:
- Flaccid erection. Habitual copulation with a woman becomes impossible. Arousal is short-term, intercourse does not end with ejaculation;
- Ejaculation too fast. An erection is fine, but ejaculation occurs one to two minutes (or earlier) after insertion of the penis into the vagina;
- Sensitivity becomes dull, sensations during sexual intercourse become less pronounced;
- Change in odor and color of semen. Inflammation can manifest itself in the form of an unpleasant, pungent odor of semen; patches of yellow or brown pus are often noticeable;
- Psychological problems appear. Failures in bed negatively affect the nervous system, sleep is disturbed and well-being worsens.
Since a depressed state of mind provokes stress, patients often experience attacks of causeless aggression, and there is often a tendency to physical violence. What to do if irritation and stress constantly remind you of yourself?
In such situations, drug treatment of prostatitis should be carried out simultaneously with observation by a psychologist. For greater effectiveness, a patient with such signs of prostatitis may be prescribed drugs from the group of antidepressants.
Sometimes the help of a psychologist may be needed even after completing a course of treatment for prostatitis. Often, sluggish chronic prostatitis does not manifest itself at all, but becomes a cause of infertility. This form of the disease can only be detected during an examination related to the impossibility of childbearing.
The old inflammatory process does not manifest itself externally, but irreversibly changes the composition and structure of the seminal fluid. The number of viable active sperm decreases and their motility becomes insignificant.
General symptoms
Regardless of the existing form of the disease, prostatitis can be diagnosed by a number of general signs. These symptoms indicate the presence of an inflammatory process. If a chronic form of the disease is present, these symptoms are very mild, but in the acute stage of the disease it is impossible not to notice them.
The list of common symptoms is as follows:
- Rising body temperature. The more actively the inflammation spreads, the higher the temperature will be. This symptom becomes especially obvious in acute bacterial prostatitis - the thermometer can show numbers of 39-40 degrees. This symptom is usually accompanied by pain in the groin;
- Aching headache, constant weakness and apathy;
- Aches in the muscles of the whole body or in the lower back area;
- Chills accompanying a rise in temperature.
An increase in temperature in itself may indicate inflammation of any nature. Sometimes (for example, with sluggish chronic prostatitis) a temperature of 37-38 degrees is observed for a long time. The true cause can only be identified through a complete examination of the body.
Symptoms characteristic of different stages of the disease
Each stage of prostate inflammation is characterized by a set of symptoms. By carefully monitoring the body, a man can notice warning signals from the body in time and begin treating prostatitis in a timely manner.
There are three main stages of prostatitis:
- First stage.At this stage, inflammation begins to spread throughout the tissues of the gland. A man periodically feels pain in the perineum, anus and lower back. The urge to urinate becomes more frequent, the process itself is accompanied by burning and pain in the urethra. At the same time, the level of sexual desire decreases, and unpleasant sensations accompany ejaculation and secretion.
- Second stage.If the above symptoms are left unattended, the disease begins to progress. The size of the inflammation and accompanying swelling decreases, but instead the formation of scars and damage to blood vessels begins. Painful sensations when visiting the toilet become more noticeable, a man experiences more and more discomfort, and failures in the intimate sphere occur more and more often. It is at this moment that the development of concomitant ailments is observed - radiculitis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, heart problems.
- The third stage of prostatitis is considered chronic.At this stage, the gland becomes covered with scars, and degeneration of the glandular tissue into muscle tissue is observed. During the examination of such patients, necrosis (tissue death) may be detected. The increased size of the gland tissues compresses the urethra, and complete emptying of the bladder becomes impossible. Changes can affect not only the urinary system; inflammation often spreads to the kidneys and other organs.
How to treat inflammation? Treatment of prostatitis is a rather lengthy process. Along with drug treatment, patients are prescribed a special diet and massage. Gymnastics is also useful for prostatitis; a set of exercises for it is prepared by a doctor.
Any stage and form of prostatitis threatens a man with serious complications. Prevention of chronic prostatitis is of great importance; medications to maintain men's health are prescribed by the doctor after examination.
Inflammation can spread to neighboring organs, causing infertility and even the development of cancer. Careful attention to your own health, appropriate prevention of prostatitis and timely visits to a urologist will help prevent the development of the disease.