Prostatitis is a disease resulting from an inflammatory lesion in the tissue of the prostate gland (prostate), which is manifested by a variety of symptoms. The disease is observed only in a strong half of the population, since the prostate is found only in the male body.
Etiology (causes) of inflammation
There are many factors that lead to the development of the disease. The most common of them are:
- The presence of a focus of infection in the body (tonsillitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, etc. )
- Trauma to the external genitals.
- Damage to the soft tissues of the pelvic area.
- Frequent hypothermia of the body.
- Weak physical activity.
- urinary retention
- Stagnation of semen secretion due to irregular sex life.
- overweight.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Chronic inflammatory processes in the organs of the genitourinary system (pyelonephritis, urethritis, orchitis, cystitis, epididymitis)
- Hormonal imbalance.
- Disorders of the intestines, which are expressed in a violation of the food passage (constipation, diarrhea)
- The presence of an inflammatory process in the rectum (proctitis, anal fissure, hemorrhoids, paraproctitis)
- Presence of a history of sexually transmitted diseases.
- Emphasize.
- Smoking.
- alcohol abuse.
- avitaminosis.
- Revision.
- Violent Sexual Activity.
- Immunodeficiency.
causative agent of the disease
The most common microorganisms that cause the development of inflammation in the prostate are the following:
- Escherichia coli (approx. 80%)
- Serratia Pseudomonas.
- Klebsiella Pseudomonas.
- Proteus Pseudomonas.
- enterococci.
- Staphylococcus aureus.
Classifications of pathological processes
In medicine, several classifications have been established that describe the course of infection in the prostate.
Clinical-pathomorphological-etiological classification:
- Acute prostatitis.
- prostate abscess.
- prostatism.
- Chronic prostate inflammation.
- Granulomatous inflammation of the prostate.
- stasis prostatitis.
- sclerosis of the prostate.
- Prostate.
- Atypical forms of chronic prostatitis.
- Neurovegetative prostatopathy.
Also, the disease described is distinguished by classes:
- Grade 1 - acute prostatitis.
- Grade 2 - chronic bacterial prostatitis.
- Grade 3 a - chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome with signs of inflammation.
- Grade 3 b - chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome without signs of inflammation.
- Grade 4 - asymptomatic chronic prostatitis.
Types and forms of the disease
Based on the above classifications, it can be noted that the main types of prostatitis are:
- Spicy.
- Chronic.
The acute inflammatory process is divided into several forms depending on the degree of damage to the prostate tissue:
- Catarrhal.
- Follicle.
- parenchyma (diffuse).
The catarrhal form is characterized by a mild, superficial inflammatory process affecting the acini of the prostate gland. This disrupts the continuity of the execution ducts of the latter. This leads to accumulation of secretions in the prostate. The prostate increases in size and becomes edematous.
The follicular form of acute prostatitis is the next stage in the development of the pathological process. As a result, individual lobules of the prostate are affected and purulent contents are formed in them.
In the parenchymal form, the inflammation involves the entire tissue of the prostate. It becomes edematous and very painful. Against the background of parenchymal prostatitis, an abscess of the prostate can form.
Clear forms of chronic pathology are currently not found in the medical literature.
stages of the disease
Despite the fact that there are no pronounced forms in the course of the chronic process, this pathology is divided into several stages.
The first is the phase of alternative changes. It is manifested by a slight inflammatory effect on the prostate tissue. If treatment is started on time (at this stage), the disease will stop very quickly. As a rule, relapses of the disease are not observed.
If the patient does not receive treatment, the stage of proliferative changes begins. Prostate tissue grows to suppress inflammation. Later comes the third stage - fibrosclerotic changes.
There is a lot of tissue growth and it replaces healthy cells. However, the resulting tissue does not have the same properties as healthy prostate tissue. Because of this, a person begins to relapse the disease and acquires a long course.
symptoms
Acute pathology is manifested by the following clinical symptoms:
- An increase in body temperature to 38 - 40 ° C.
- deterioration of general condition.
- Chills.
- Pain over the uterus, in the perineum, anus, glans penis.
- Difficulty urinating and/or bowel movements.
- Delayed bowel movements, gas.
- Increased urination.
- urinary retention
- Increased excitability.
Chronic prostatitis is characterized by the following symptoms:
- discomfort in the lower abdomen.
- Erectile dysfunction.
- Irritability.
- Whitish discharge from penis.
- Prolongation of the duration of sexual intercourse.
- weakening of the urine stream.
- Incomplete emptying of the bladder.
Complications of the pathological process
In the absence of a timely start or an insufficient course of treatment, the development of acute pathology can have different directions.
In the first case, acute inflammation of the prostate leads to a chronic process. The latter is characterized by an alternation of periods of exacerbations and remissions. It is very difficult to cure chronic prostatitis, as a rule, you have to put up with it and be prepared for the next exacerbation.
If the inflammatory process develops very quickly, it can lead to the formation of an abscess of the prostate. In other words, a large abscess forms in the prostate tissue. The most common treatment for a prostate abscess is surgery.
Bacteria from the lesion can enter the bloodstream because the prostate is very well supplied with blood. When this happens, a very formidable complication manifests itself in a person - sepsis. It is very difficult to defeat sepsis, so the percentage of deaths in the presence of this disease is very high.
An untreated condition can lead to the development of male infertility, since seminal vesicles are located next to the prostate. Also, the gland is closely related to the testicles, where the formation of spermatozoa occurs.
Inflammation of the prostate can lead to narrowing of the urethra. The fit of the latter to the urethra allows inflammation to spread from the prostate to the urethra. This leads to the formation of scar tissue in the urethra and a reduction in its diameter.
In addition to spreading the inflammatory process to the urethra, it can spread to the bladder. Thus, the patient can experience a recurring (recurring) cystitis. When infected urine is thrown back into the kidney from the bladder, this leads to the development of pyelonephritis.
treatment of the disease
It is worth paying close attention to the fact that the therapy of prostatitis must be comprehensive. When treating acute prostatitis, the following points must be observed:
- The fight against the inflammatory process in the prostate is impossible without the appointment of antibacterial drugs. The attending physician must determine the causative agent of the disease and prescribe a drug to destroy it. It is better if the doctor prescribes the simultaneous intake of several antibiotics.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They have a good analgesic effect and reduce inflammation. It is recommended to take these drugs not only in the form of tablets, but also in the form of suppositories for rectal use.
- Detoxification therapy can be carried out if the general condition is severe or if the body temperature is elevated.
- Surgical intervention is required when diagnosing a prostate abscess in a patient.
To recover from chronic inflammation in the prostate, it is necessary:
- Prostate massage (performed only by a urologist)
- Drugs that improve metabolism in the prostate.
- use of NSAIDs.
- Immunomodulatory drugs.
- Physical therapy.
- tranquilizers.