The problem of chronic prostatitis affects not only older men, but also young people who are just starting to have sex. Prostatitis in the first months can manifest itself with a slight burning sensation and itching, which the patient does not attach importance to. But when inflammation becomes a part of everyday life, it can no longer be ignored. Pain, fatigue, and impaired 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 involves minimizing symptoms and achieving a state of prostatitis that does not affect reproductive function.
Prostatitis is characterized by inflammation of the prostate: an important organ of the reproductive system located at the top of the urethra. When healthy, the prostate gland is responsible for secreting secretions that help sperm survive and create an environment for them to survive until ejaculation. In chronic prostatitis, on average in 70% of cases this function is impaired, which is why the majority of sperm become sluggish and cannot survive. The chances of successful fertilization are significantly reduced even in the absence of other obvious problems with the reproductive system. Complex treatment is required.
Chronic prostatitis develops in three forms:
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis.Painful symptoms may subside completely or return with intensity. 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 comprehensive diagnosis and treatment: for example, if a man has a cold or seasonal illness at the same time as inflammation. Antibiotics will inhibit the activity of bacterial colonies and the disease will subside. But the next time the immune system weakens, chronic prostatitis will return and you will have to get treatment.
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis.According to research, chronic bacterial prostatitis remains one of the most common forms in men under 50 years old. The disease often begins with bacterial invasion: bacteria develop activity against the background of weakened and defeated immunity. As a result, the body's resources are depleted, which is why inflammation recurs in the future without the involvement of bacteria. Chronic bacterial prostatitis is characterized by long periods with short and barely noticeable periods of remission. A man with bacterial prostatitis may become convinced that the disease is getting worse. The burning sensation is brighter than with bacterial forms - because the disease does not allow you to relax and take a break from the pain. Minimally invasive treatment. Chronic progressive nonbacterial prostatitis is treated in the surgeon's office.
- Chronic asymptomatic prostatitis (no symptoms).This form of prostatitis does not cause suffering for men but is dangerous as a potential threat. Asymptomatic prostatitis occurs without obvious symptoms. Burning in the prostate, itching, moisture secretion and other signs of inflammation do not appear. At the same time, the inflammatory process affects reproductive function, which is why men may consider themselves infertile. Chronic asymptomatic prostatitis can only be detected by laboratory diagnosis. Tests will show increased bacterial activity, which is associated with the development of prostatitis in men. Combined with the release of leukocytes during urination, this would allow the diagnosis. Please note: a preventive examination by a urologist once a year may not be enough. Asymptomatic chronic prostatitis also has active phases, making it 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 from long-term radiotherapy. The inflammatory process in this case is only a secondary symptom. Painful sensations are associated with the gradual destruction of prostate tissue, which is replaced by connective tissue. Degeneration of this organ leads to impaired prostate function until it stops working 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 pass into the acute stage, which is dangerous for the reproductive system. Sharp pain accompanied by a burning sensation in the prostate, high temperature, decreased immunity are signs that the 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.
reason
The driving force behind the development of chronic prostatitis is often a combination of factors, including physical condition, environment and genetics. If acute prostatitis can be prevented, then the development of chronic prostatitis is not so simple. Men who are naturally predisposed to prostate disease will have it worse in situations that do not affect men with more favorable genetics.
If you want to reduce your risk of developing chronic prostatitis, pay more attention to your health. Prostatitis is a disease that occurs against the background of physical weakness. Among the common causes of chronic prostatitis:
- Sexual infections.They directly affect the prostate or weaken the immune system to the point that even the slightest irritation can trigger an inflammatory process. The infection is sexually transmitted through unprotected contact. Carriers may not know that they are infected: some infections appear only in men, even though women carry the disease, and vice versa. The best prevention is to use hygienic birth control. Urologists recommend using condoms even during non-penetrative sex - for example, when stimulating the prostate.
- 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 your day sitting at your desk, don't forget to get up and exercise at least every 1-2 hours. Light exercise, walking around the office or stretching will restore normal blood circulation. On weekends, you can offset the week's workload with long walks or sports activities.
- Incomplete sexual intercourse, prolonged artificial stimulation or prolonged abstinence.The male reproductive system requires regular discharge. This is how sperm is renewed and thanks to this, all organs are always ready for reproduction. What happens if a man regularly delays or forbids himself from reaching orgasm? The body accumulates more sperm and byproducts than needed. The prostate is also affected: it secretes unnecessary secretions that have nowhere to direct. If this condition repeats continuously, the result may be chronic prostatitis.
- Frequent hypothermia.It is believed that freezing is absolutely beneficial for men - it helps the body stay healthy. In fact, due to hypothermia while walking, riding a motorbike or skiing, the human immune system will be overloaded. It is more difficult for the body to cope with bacterial activity, and the likelihood of damage to the prostate increases many times. In such conditions, you can easily become a carrier of bacterial prostatitis, which will then turn into a non-bacterial or asymptomatic form.
- Chronic insomnia, depression, stress.Psychological factors combined with fatigue weaken the immune system and make the body susceptible to a variety 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 develop prostatitis than a man who sleeps 8-10 hours a day and rests. Full rest with 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 make the condition worse. Go to the doctor immediately - and you will get rid of, if not the disease, then unpleasant symptoms.
- Hormone dysfunction.In chronic prostatitis, the functions of the prostate gland are impaired. Hormones are responsible for regulating the prostate and coordinating secretion with the activity of the reproductive system. Even mild hormonal imbalances can cause inflammation. In this case, the treatment of chronic prostatitis will have to supplement hormonal therapy.
- Neglect of personal hygiene rules.Be careful: once is enough for bacteria to stick to the tissues. You may not notice the consequences of non-compliance with the rules of personal care for many years, while the immune system will protect the body from bacterial invasion. But one exacerbation of the 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, lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. A man with a healthy lifestyle has a low risk of developing chronic prostatitis, even if there is 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 examination, based on the nature of the disease and the patient's indications. If prostatitis has not manifested before, the urologist will prescribe diagnostic procedures: ultrasound of the prostate, urodynamic examination. Laboratory tests include analysis of urine, ejaculate, urethral secretions, and prostatic secretions.
After clarifying the diagnosis, the doctor will provide a treatment regimen. There is no one correct method to treat chronic prostatitis. Methods are selected in accordance with the type of chronic prostatitis, medical history and individual characteristics of the disease process.
Treatment medicine
Prescribed in most cases for home treatment; If prostatitis is accompanied by severe acute exacerbations, the man may need to be hospitalized. For bacterial forms of prostatitis, antibiotics are selected in accordance with the bacterial group - determined during testing. Penicillins and fluoroquinolones remain the most popular antibacterial drugs in the treatment of chronic prostatitis of a bacterial nature.
For any form of chronic prostatitis, drugs belonging to the group of alpha blockers are prescribed. They reduce swelling and eliminate the uncomfortable feeling of pressure and itching that prostatitis causes. These drugs also have a powerful analgesic effect: a man no longer experiences pain and burning, physical activity and night rest are normalized. Prostatitis occurs without causing pain or physical exhaustion.
When chronic prostatitis turns into an acute form, strong nonsteroidal drugs are prescribed. They act directly on the inflammatory process and reduce symptoms but do not treat the root cause of the disease.
Surgical method
In recent years, doctors have increasingly recruited men with signs of chronic prostatitis to the surgeon's office. The cause is the mixed effects of surgical operations and long recovery time. The prostatitis stopped, but the patient suffered side effects, including impotence. At the same time, there are forms of chronic prostatitis that do not require surgical intervention.
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR) is a method of removing part or all of prostate tissue to relieve stress on the urinary system. When a part is removed, the prostate retains all functions, at the same time the inflammatory process disappears irreversibly and prostatitis does not return. The operation is performed without opening, regardless of the degree of inflammation. The segmentoscope targets the inflamed organ without affecting other pelvic organs.
A prostatectomy is the removal of a gland due to prostatitis in an "open" way, also known as a prostatectomy. The progressive inflammatory process leads to the fact that it is impossible to reach the inflamed gland without opening it. In this case, conventional surgical instruments are used to completely remove the prostate. This is an extreme measure, only indicated when other treatments are not possible and pose a danger to the body. After a long period of rehabilitation, the man returns to a normal lifestyle with unlimited physical activity. Surgical removal of the gland always ends in complete impotence. Prostatitis never recurs.
Minimally invasive treatment method
In modern medicine, there are many methods of treating chronic prostatitis without surgical intervention. New techniques have been shown to be more effective than traditional surgery and should be used everywhere. Official medicine recognizes the following treatment methods:
- Exposure to ultrasound waves.Prostatitis only affects the prostate, so UV treatment focuses radiation on this organ. Regular procedures relieve symptoms, reduce swelling and pain. This process is not accompanied by pain, does not cause irritation and is harmless to the genitourinary system.
- Heat treatment.Prostatitis and its manifestations can be alleviated with microwave heat therapy. High temperatures have a direct impact on the prostate, causing the size of the prostate to shrink. This method is not used if prostatitis has entered the acute stage: in this case, heating will aggravate the condition.
- Cold destruction.Painless partial removal of inflamed glandular tissue using liquid nitrogen with minimal recovery time. Chronic prostatitis will be completely cured if antibacterial treatment is carried out in parallel with strengthening the immune system. Reproductive function is not affected, prostatitis is less likely to recur.
- Touch therapy.Complex treatment with lasers and magnetic fields helps normalize blood circulation, activate regenerative processes and relieve pain caused by inflammation. The technique in case of prostatitis has side effects: induction therapy enhances the effect of the drug by one and a half to two times, but without the drug it gives short-term results.
- Laser treatment.If chronic prostatitis is accompanied by prolonged periods of exacerbation, laser therapy will be prescribed. The laser evaporates excess moisture, blocking the growing area of tissue damage caused by prostatitis. The treatment has a stimulating effect: the body's cells are activated, natural defenses are awakened, and tissue regeneration takes place.
One of the new methods is mechanical expansion of the urethral wall. This method does not treat chronic prostatitis but contributes to the almost complete disappearance of symptoms of the disease. Reducing the contact area will promote faster wound healing and prevent the spread of damage. To increase the distance between the walls of the urethra, a catheter with an inflated balloon (balloon dilator) or a cylindrical polymer frame (stent) is inserted. Methods can be combined to achieve the desired result. This technique is not used if prostatitis has reached the acute stage.
Treatment
If you suspect prostatitis, you should first consult your doctor. Only on the basis of examination can a urologist confirm the chronic nature of the disease and prescribe treatment. Signs of prostatitis are similar to other diseases of the pelvic organs, so you should not self-treat.
After diagnosis, follow your doctor's recommendations and have regular checkups with a urologist. Prostatitis can be treated with care and patience: do not neglect hygienic procedures during the acute period of the disease, take the medicine hourly and the disease will subside.
If prostatitis is causing severe distress, ask your doctor to refer you for prostate massage or to recommend a private clinic that offers this service. Massage enhances treatment effectiveness. After the first session, you will notice that prostatitis becomes less severe: massage movements relax the pelvic organs, bring a feeling of relief and activate natural tissue recovery processes. The chronic nature of prostatitis will be significantly reduced: signs of inflammation will bother you less.
Men with prostatitis should abandon traditional medicine throughout the treatment process. 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 medication. Prostatitis is treated with selected drugs after a comprehensive examination. A random treatment will not have the desired effect, even if it has helped hundreds of thousands of men with prostatitis - simply because you are in a different situation. Dosage, duration and even the method of using drugs for chronic prostatitis are selected individually. If you are offered to buy a drug that can treat prostatitis of any kind, regardless of cause, you should know: this is a fake. Follow your doctor's advice and stay healthy!