One of the common diseases in men is prostatitis, ICD-10 code is 41. What type of disease is prostatitis? The spread of this disease is facilitated by a sedentary lifestyle, addiction to tobacco and alcohol, and excessive consumption 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 often diagnosed in its later stages or during seasonal exacerbations. How to recognize signs of prostatitis in men and its symptoms will be mentioned in the article below.
What is the prostate?
The prostate is a small organ located below the urethra.The importance of this organ is difficult to overestimate, since it is responsible for normal urination and male potency. 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 fluid, and the muscles regulate the size of the urethral lumen.
The likelihood of developing the disease increases with age. According to statistics, the majority of patients with prostatitis are men of retirement age.
However, in recent years, the disease is diagnosed in men no older than 30 years old. In total, prostatitis of one type or another is present in 30% of the male population.
To avoid unpleasant consequences of this disease, it is important for men to pay attention to their health and not ignore the appearance of alarming signals indicating the presence of the disease.
The best treatment for prostatitis is given as early as possible, so it is important to recognize the characteristic symptoms of the disease. What symptoms can be used to determine the presence of men's health problems?
Causes of development of prostatitis
What is prostatitis in men? The prostate is a rather vulnerable organ, many negative aspects can cause inflammation of the gland. If we talk about the causes of appearance, there are two types of diseases: bacteriaAndfamous.
Bacterial prostatitis, caused by pathogenic bacteria penetrating prostate tissue. Usually, microorganisms enter the body with urine residue or through the circulatory system. The disease occurs suddenly and progresses rapidly, the body temperature increases, the man feels severe pain in the groin.
If the patient ignores these symptoms, the results can be very adverse, even fatal. With chronic bacterial prostatitis, symptoms will manifest as severe pain during an acute attack.
Infectious (bacterial) prostatitis. The causative agent in this case is a virus. The most common pathogens are influenza virus, rubella, cytomegalovirus and papillomavirus. This disease is rare and is characterized by fever, joint pain or severe skin rashes.
Various factors can provoke the development of the disease:
- Complications of previous diseases;
- Hypothermia of the pelvic organs;
- Presence of chronic infection in the female partner;
- Urethral reflux - if the prostate does not prevent the backflow of urine, a bacterial infection penetrates the surface of the gland and inflammation begins;
- Intimate life is inconsistent. Long-term abstinence and excessive sexual activity have the same negative effects;
- Blood stagnation in the genitourinary system - can appear against the background of hemorrhoids or other diseases;
- Hormonal imbalance. If the gland produces insufficient amounts of male hormones, muscle tone gradually weakens and erectile dysfunction occurs;
- Weakened immunity;
- Frequent stress and lack of sleep;
- Practicing interrupted intercourse, deliberately prolonging sexual intercourse.
Usually, the first signs of prostatitis are characterized by difficulty urinating and penile pain.
Unfortunately, most men prefer to ignore this alarming signal from the body. A visit to the urologist will be postponed until later; At best, treatment is limited to medication recommended by friends or colleagues. The result of this approach is that inflammation will progress to a chronic stage.
The pain was not so intense and the man thought things had improved. In fact, this process continues, and soon a series of problems in the intimate sphere and frequent exacerbations of prostatitis begin.
Choosing an effective drug for the treatment of prostatitis in men becomes more difficult, treatment at this stage will be much more expensive, and treatment will take a lot of time. Therefore, it is important not to ignore the first signs of the disease. If you experience difficulty urinating or discomfort in the groin area, you should see a doctor immediately.
Since prostatitis syndrome in men is not always obvious, the condition of the gland should be checked 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 signs of prostatitis in men. The choice of treatment strategy is determined by the type of disease.
Doctors distinguish two main types of diseases:
- Acute prostatitis.This type of disease is quite simple to diagnose, since the inflammatory process manifests itself very clearly and quite clearly. 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 is not cured or no treatment is given, the disease becomes chronic. Visible symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men become less frequent, and even those symptoms may only be noticed during an exacerbation (this most often occurs in spring or autumn).
Usually, chronic prostatitis begins with persistent pain, but often the disease develops without any obvious symptoms; this inflammatory process is observed in people engaged in sedentary work. (office workers, drivers).
The cause of inflammation is poor circulation in the reproductive system, which occurs with lack of physical activity and prolonged abstinence from sex.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, manifested in general intoxication of the body, treatment will be based on the use of antibiotics. If inflammation occurs due to stagnation of blood and lymph, the main focus will be on lifestyle adjustments and eliminating accompanying diseases.
Classification of prostatitis symptoms
How does the disease manifest? Usually, all unpleasant symptoms signaling a disorder in the functioning of the prostate gland are divided into three main groups:
- All types of deviations from the norm are observed in the urinary system;
- Difficulties arise in the intimate sphere;
- Signs of serious depression due to decreased male hormone levels and sexual impotence.
All of these symptoms can occur in the first stages of adenitis. Over time, symptoms will become more pronounced and more serious diseases may develop in the future.
First signs of inflammation
The most common main sign of prostatitis is frequent pain in the lower abdomen. At the same time, the nature and location of unpleasant sensations can be very diverse. A man periodically feels sharp pain when urinating, but in some cases the pain appears constantly.
Acute prostatitis occurs more clearly, often the symptoms of this form of the disease greatly interfere with normal daily activities. Exacerbations of the chronic form of the disease occur infrequently, and during the recovery period after treatment, symptoms may disappear completely.
When you have prostatitis, the pain is often localized in the groin area. Discomfort does not only appear in the perineum - both the lower back and lower abdomen can hurt. When urinating and ejaculating, men feel discomfort in the scrotum, penis and testicles.
Difficulty urinating
One of the most alarming symptoms is urination problems. The following characteristic signs should warn a man:
- Needing to urinate too often;
- Discomfort due to insufficient bladder emptying;
- Unrealistic urge to urinate;
- The stream when urinating is low pressure and 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 and severe tissue swelling may also be seen.
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 fibers, most commonly 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 promptly, in most cases prostate adenoma develops (proliferation of glandular tissue and formation of nodes and tumors in it).
Urinary incontinence accompanied by pain is the first sign of prostatitis, so when they appear, you cannot delay seeing a urologist. The doctor prescribes several tests (for example, a general PSA blood test to detect prostatitis).
Intimacy matters
Perhaps the most unpleasant symptom of prostatitis in men is sexual dysfunction. This manifestation of the disease often appears in the stage of actively progressing inflammation. Often, sexual dysfunction is a manifestation of old inflammation.
The most common symptoms are as follows:
- Weak erection. Habitual intercourse with a woman becomes impossible. Arousal is short-term, intercourse does not end with ejaculation;
- Ejaculating too quickly. Erection is normal, but ejaculation occurs one to two minutes (or sooner) after insertion of the penis into the vagina;
- Sensitivity becomes dull, the sensation during sexual intercourse becomes less pronounced;
- Change in smell and color of semen. Inflammation can manifest as semen with a pungent, unpleasant odor, often clearly visible patches of yellow or brown pus;
- Psychological problems appear. Failure in bed negatively affects the nervous system, sleep is disturbed and health deteriorates.
Because a depressed mental state causes stress, patients often experience bouts of unprovoked aggression and are often prone to physical violence. What to do if constant discomfort and stress remind you of yourself?
In such situations, treatment with prostatitis drugs should be carried out simultaneously with the observation of a psychologist. For greater effectiveness, patients with such signs of prostatitis can be prescribed drugs from the group of antidepressants.
Sometimes the help of a psychologist may be needed even after completing the course of treatment for prostatitis. Often, chronic sluggish prostatitis does not manifest itself at all, but becomes the cause of infertility. This form of the disease can only be detected during a physical examination related to the ability to bear children.
The old inflammatory process does not manifest itself externally, but irreversibly changes the composition and structure of semen. The number of viable, active sperm decreases and their motility becomes negligible.
General symptoms
Regardless of the type of disease present, prostatitis can be diagnosed by several general signs. These symptoms indicate the presence of an inflammatory process. If there is a chronic form of the disease, 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:
- Body temperature increases. The more widespread the inflammation, the higher the temperature will be. This symptom becomes especially evident in acute bacterial prostatitis - the thermometer can show a figure of 39-40 degrees. This symptom is often accompanied by pain in the groin;
- Headache, constant weakness and lethargy;
- Muscle pain throughout the body or in the lower back;
- Chills are accompanied by an increase in temperature.
An increase in temperature itself can indicate inflammation of any nature. Sometimes (for example, with chronic sluggish prostatitis), the temperature is observed at 37-38 degrees for a long time. The true cause can only be determined through a complete examination of the body.
Symptoms characteristic of different stages of the disease
Each stage of prostatitis is characterized by a set of symptoms. By carefully monitoring the body, a man can promptly notice warning signals from the body and begin treatment for prostatitis in time.
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 feeling of needing to urinate becomes more frequent, this process is accompanied by a burning sensation and pain in the urethra. At the same time, the level of sexual desire decreases, discomfort accompanies ejaculation and excretion.
- Second stage.If the above symptoms are not noticed, the disease will begin to progress. The size of the inflammation and accompanying swelling decreases but instead, scar formation and vascular damage begins. The pain when going to the toilet becomes more and more pronounced, the man feels more and more uncomfortable, and failures in the intimate sphere occur more and more often. At this time, the development of concomitant diseases is observed - radiculitis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, heart problems.
- The third stage of prostatitis is considered chronic.At this stage, the gland is covered with scars and degeneration of the glandular tissue into muscle tissue is observed. During the examination of such patients, necrosis (dead tissue) may be detected. The increased size of the glandular tissue compresses the urethra and complete bladder emptying 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 long process. Along with drug treatment, patients are prescribed a special diet and massage. Gymnastics is also useful for prostatitis, a set of exercises for this disease 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; drugs to maintain men's health are prescribed by the doctor after examination.
Inflammation can spread to nearby organs, cause infertility and even develop into cancer. Careful attention to your health, proper prostatitis prevention and timely visit to a urologist will help prevent the development of the disease.