This insidious disease is one of the most common diseases in the male half of humanity. Many people close their eyes to the emerging malaise and wait for the inevitable development of any consequences that make normal life impossible. We will tell you about the symptoms of prostatitis in men and its treatment.
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland, which according to statistics affects a huge number of men of all ages. Already at the age of thirty, every third person suffers from this disease, over the years the number of patients inexorably increases and almost everyone who has changed their sixties is facing one or another form of the disorder. And these are only official data, but in fact the frequency is much higher, but due to the reluctance of men to go to doctors, doctors simply can not give accurate figures.
From an early age, boys learn that a real man must be persistent, in pain, and inattentive to ailments. And it can't be about running to the doctor at the slightest discomfort. This rule is strictly followed by the majority of older men, who talk about their problems in front of doctors as a last resort, and sometimes even in an ambulance or hospital.
Alas, this also applies to prostatitis. The first alarming "bells" such as the frequent need to go to the toilet, sometimes mild pain and discomfort when urinating, some problems with libido and potency, are explained by anything: a hard day's work, a scandal with the boss, too violent party the day before.
And most importantly, there is nothing to think about, everything will pass by itself. There is some logic in this: the first signs of prostatitis in men are mild, cause the patient minimal discomfort and soon disappear. Only one thing is not taken into account: the painful symptoms have passed, but the disease itself has not disappeared anywhere. It simply becomes a chronic form that does not manifest itself in any way for a long time and then under the influence of negative factors it worsens and causes much more suffering.
Even if you think that the emerging health problems are not worth it and will soon disappear without any treatment, know that they can be a harbinger of a serious illness. Be sure to visit a doctor, go through the examination and the necessary examinations. Remember that any disease is easier and faster to cure if you do it urgently.
Causes of the disease
Prostatitis can be caused by a wide variety of factors that often have nothing to do with the reproductive system. This is one of the most insidious properties of the disease.
Let's list the causes that most often lead to inflammation of the gland:
- Pathogenic microorganisms are one of the main causes of the disease. Initially, a person can get any infectious disease: starting with infectious inflammation of the urinary tract, sexually transmitted diseases and ending with tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis or hemorrhoids, which in this case are unexpected. Even untreated dental caries can cause prostate problems in the future. From the most distant parts of the body from the prostate gland, pathogens enter it with the flow of blood, lymph and other biological fluids. To this must be added a weakened immune system in almost everyone, because with normal immunity, the common cold is unlikely to lead to inflammation of one of the organs of the reproductive system.
- Circulatory disorders in the pelvis - this reason rightfully ranks second on the list. Blood stasis, disruption of the normal blood supply and, therefore, organ hypoxia occurs due to physical inactivity, constant sitting at work and at home. This leads to a significant increase in the size of the prostate. Similar changes are observed in overweight people.
- Frequent shaking and tension of the perineum muscles - people in some professions, such as drivers, tend to do this.
- Hormonal imbalance - occurs in many diseases and has a very negative effect on prostate health.
- Hypothermia.
- Frequent constipation.
To reduce the likelihood of disease, it is necessary to monitor the regularity of sexual activity. Remember that both prolonged abstinence and too frequent intimate contact have a negative impact.
What forms of the disease are isolated
- Bacterial prostatitis- caused by pathogenic bacteria. It can be acute (more common in young people) and chronic. Recent studies show that, as a rule, the infection affects the already pathologically altered tissues of the gland, with severe circulatory disorders.
- Non-bacterial or abacterial prostatitis- although laboratory tests do not show the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the diseased organ, their participation in the process cannot be completely ruled out.
- prostatodynia- all symptoms of prostatitis are present, but inflammation of the gland is not detected.
How prostatitis manifests
To detect the disease in time, you need to know what are the symptoms of prostatitis in men. The most characteristic features are the acute form of the disease.
- Weakness and general malaise.
- Chills and fever.
- Fever.
- Headache.
- Severe pain in the perineum and groin, which becomes even stronger when urinating and defecating.
- The need to go to the toilet often and soon after urinating the patient feels the urge again because the bladder is not completely emptied.
- Severe conditions requiring urgent medical attention are expressed in acute urinary retention.
- Nervous tension, irritability.
Symptoms of chronic prostatitis
In the chronic form, the disease can be asymptomatic for many years and its symptoms can easily be confused with the manifestations of other diseases.
Let's find out how this disease manifests itself:
- Pulling pain in the pelvis and lower back- the pain comes from the perineum, felt in the lower abdomen, urethra, testicles. In addition, the patient experiences low back pain radiating to the legs, which can often be confused with sciatica or other neuralgia. The pain may be concentrated in one place or it may appear to hurt all together.
- Difficulty and frequent urination- pain usually occurs when the patient starts or stops urinating. At the same time, it is impossible to withstand and retain urine: despite the fact that the man recently went to the toilet, the feeling is as if the bladder is full. When urinating in a weak stream, very little urine is excreted.
- Decreased sexual activity- long-term inflammatory process, circulatory disorders, pathological changes in prostate tissue can not be lost and ultimately lead to a noticeable decrease in libido and potency. This is because nerves pass through the gland that transmit impulses to the centers in the brain responsible for erection. One of the consequences of the disease is damage to these nerves, reducing their sensitivity and the development of disorders in the intimate sphere. At first the erection does not lose its strength, but at the same time there is premature ejaculation, then the erection itself becomes much weaker and the orgasm becomes slow. Testosterone synthesis is gradually inhibited and sexual desire is catastrophically reduced. In some cases, during ejaculation, the man feels a sharp pain in the head of the penis.
- Scars of prostate tissue and reduction in organ size.In advanced cases, this process spreads to the urinary tract and bladder, causing severe urinary incontinence. All this leads to the development of renal dysfunction, the development of urolithiasis and other serious conditions.
Treatment of various forms of the disease
We have seen the most common symptoms of prostate inflammation in men, now let's look at ways to treat this disease.
Despite the fact that there are many studies on the treatment of prostatitis, to date the general scheme of therapy is unknown. Treatment may vary from case to case, but there is no doubt that it is important to correctly determine the cause of the disease and start therapy in the early stages of the pathology.
In acute prostatitis with bacterial genesis, the patient is hospitalized, antibiotic therapy is carried out, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, drugs that normalize blood circulation are prescribed.
The chronic form of the disease is very difficult to treat and is usually not completely cured. In case of successful treatment, a long period of remission is achieved, during which the signs of prostatitis in men and its symptoms do not appear.
The set of therapeutic procedures is selected individually for each patient. The patient is prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, drugs that improve blood circulation in the prostate, immunomodulatory drugs, vitamins. Also, the man should undergo a course of physiotherapy, prostate massage and regularly perform physical exercises aimed at maintaining the health of the prostate gland.