The problem of chronic prostatitis affects not only older men, but also young people who are just starting to have sex. Prostate inflammation in the first months can manifest itself as a slight burning and itching, which the patient does not attach importance to. But when inflammation becomes a part of everyday life, it is no longer possible to ignore it. Exhausting pain, fatigue, decreased 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 consists of minimizing symptoms and achieving a state in which prostatitis does not affect reproductive function.
Prostatitis is characterized by inflammation of the prostate: an important organ of the reproductive system located in the upper part of the beginning of the urethra. When healthy, the prostate is responsible for producing secretions that keep sperm alive and create an environment for them to survive until ejaculation. In chronic prostatitis, this function is disrupted in an average of 70% of cases, which is why spermatozoa usually become sluggish and unsustainable. The chances of successful fertilization drop significantly even in the absence of other pronounced problems with the reproductive system. A complex treatment is required.
Chronic prostatitis develops in three forms:
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis.Painful symptoms either disappear completely or return with a vengeance. Even at its peak, the inflammation does not reach the intensity of acute prostatitis. Prostate irritation is caused by a third-party factor - pathogenic bacteria. Such prostatitis can disappear without diagnosis and comprehensive treatment: for example, if a man had a cold or a seasonal illness at the same time as inflammation. Antibiotics will suppress the activity of the bacterial colonies, and the disease will subside. But the next time the immune system fails, chronic prostatitis will return and you will have to undergo treatment.
- Chronic abacterial prostatitis.According to research, chronic abacterial prostatitis remains one of the most common forms in men under the age of 50. The disease often begins with bacterial invasion: bacteria develop activity against the background of weakened immunity and are defeated. As a result, the body's resources are depleted, which is why the inflammation returns in the future without the participation of bacteria. Abacterial chronic prostatitis is characterized by long phases with short, hardly noticeable remission. A man with abacterial prostatitis can be convinced that the disease is constantly worsening. The burning sensation is stronger than with bacterial forms - due to the fact that the disease does not allow you to relax and rest from the pain. Treatment is minimally invasive. Advanced chronic prostatitis of a non-bacterial nature is treated in the surgeon's office.
- Chronic asymptomatic (asymptomatic) prostatitis.This form of prostatitis does not cause suffering to the man, but it is dangerous as a hidden threat. Asymptomatic prostatitis occurs without pronounced symptoms. Burning in the prostate, itching, release of moisture and other signs of inflammation do not appear. At the same time, the inflammatory process affects the reproductive function, which is why a man can be considered infertile. Chronic asymptomatic prostatitis can only be detected by laboratory diagnostics. Tests will show increased bacterial activity, which is associated with the development of prostatitis in men. Combined with the release of white blood cells during urination, this will allow the diagnosis to be made. Please note: a preventive examination by a urologist once a year may not be enough. Asymptomatic chronic prostatitis also has phases of activity, so it can be 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 long-term radiation. 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. Degradation of the organ leads to weakening of prostate function until it stops 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 turn into an acute phase, dangerous for the reproductive system. Sharp pain with a burning sensation in the prostate, high temperature, decreased immunity are signs that the treatment of chronic prostatitis will have to be postponed. Call 911 or go to the hospital. First you need to stop the acute inflammatory process.
Causes
The impetus for the development of chronic prostatitis is usually a combination of factors, including the condition of the organism, the environment and heredity. If acute prostatitis can be prevented, then the development of chronic prostatitis is not so simple. Men who are naturally prone to prostate disease will experience an exacerbation of the disease in situations that do not affect men with a more favorable heredity.
If you want to reduce the risk of developing chronic prostatitis, pay more attention to your health. Prostatitis is a disease that occurs against the background of weakness of the body. Among the common causes of chronic prostatitis:
- Sexual infections.They directly affect the prostate or weaken the immune system enough that the slightest irritation causes an inflammatory process. Infections are transmitted sexually through unprotected contact. Carriers may not know they are infected: some infections only occur in men, even though they are carried by women, and vice versa. The best preventive measure is hygienic contraceptives. Urologists recommend using condoms even during non-penetrative sexual intercourse - for example, during prostate stimulation.
- Passive lifestyle.Lack of physical activity causes chronic problems with circulation not only in the prostate, but also in the entire pelvic area. If you have to spend most of the day sitting at a desk, don't forget to get up and stretch at least once every 1-2 hours. Light exercise, a walk around the office or stretching will restore normal blood circulation. On the weekend, you can compensate for the workload of the working week with long walks or sports activities.
- Incomplete intercourse, artificial prolongation of arousal or prolonged abstinence.The male reproductive system requires regular discharge. This is how spermatozoa are renewed, and thanks to this, all organs are constantly ready for the reproductive process. What happens if a man regularly postpones or forbids himself to have an orgasm? The body accumulates more sperm and by-products than it needs. The prostate also suffers: it produces unnecessary secretions that have nowhere to direct them. If the situation is constantly repeated, the result can be chronic prostatitis.
- Regular hypothermia.It is believed that it is useful for men to freeze well - it strengthens the body. In fact, hypothermic during walking, riding a motorcycle or skiing, a person overloads the immune system. The organism has a harder time dealing with bacterial activity, and the vulnerability of the prostate increases many times over. In such conditions, it is easy to become a carrier of bacterial prostatitis, which will then change to a non-bacterial or asymptomatic form.
- Chronic lack of sleep, depression, stress.Psychological factors in combination with fatigue exhaust the immune system and open the body to a whole group 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 get prostatitis than a man who sleeps 8-10 hours a day and rests well with his family. At the first manifestations of the disease, it is important not to blame yourself and not to indulge in gloomy thoughts: they will only worsen the condition. Go to the doctor immediately - and you will get rid of, if not the disease itself, then the unpleasant symptoms.
- Disorders of hormonal activity.In chronic prostatitis, prostate functions are disturbed. Hormones are responsible for prostate regulation and coordination of secretion with the work of the reproductive system. Even a mild hormonal imbalance can cause inflammation. In this case, the treatment of chronic prostatitis will have to be supplemented with hormone therapy.
- Neglecting the rules of personal hygiene.Be careful: once is enough for bacteria to settle on tissues. You may not notice the consequences of not following the rules of personal care for years, while the immune system protects the body from bacterial invasions. But one aggravation against the background of a 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 nutrition and lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. A man who leads a healthy lifestyle is less exposed to the risk of chronic prostatitis, even with 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 visit, based on the nature of the disease and the patient's indications. If prostatitis has not manifested itself before, the urologist will prescribe diagnostic procedures: ultrasound examination of the prostate, urodynamic examination. Laboratory tests include analysis of urine, ejaculate, urethral swabs and prostate secretions.
After clarifying the diagnosis, the doctor will formulate a course of treatment. There is no single correct method of treating chronic prostatitis. Methods are chosen in accordance with the type of chronic prostatitis, medical history and personal characteristics of the course of the disease.
Drug treatment
It is prescribed in most cases for home treatment; if prostatitis is accompanied by acute exacerbations, the man may be admitted to the hospital. For bacterial forms of prostatitis, antibiotics are chosen according to the group of bacteria - identified during laboratory tests. Penicillins and fluoroquinolones remain the most popular antibacterial drugs in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis.
For any form of chronic prostatitis, drugs from the group of alpha-blockers are prescribed. They relieve swelling, eliminate the feeling of pressure and unpleasant itching caused by prostatitis. These drugs also have a strong analgesic effect: a person stops suffering from pain and burning, physical activity and night rest are normalized. Prostatitis occurs without pain or physical exhaustion.
When chronic prostatitis turns into an acute form, powerful non-steroidal drugs are prescribed. They act directly on the inflammatory process and alleviate the symptoms, but do not treat the underlying cause of the disease.
Surgical methods
In recent years, doctors have less and less enrolled men with signs of chronic prostatitis in the surgeon's office. The reason is the mixed effect of surgical manipulations and the long recovery period. The prostatitis stops, but the patient suffers from side effects, including impotence. At the same time, there are forms of chronic prostatitis that require surgical intervention.
Prostate resection using the transurethral method (TUR) is the partial or complete removal of prostate tissue to relieve stress on the urinary system. Partial resection of the prostate retains all functions, while the inflammatory process passes irreversibly and prostatitis does not return. The operation is performed without opening, regardless of the degree of inflammation. The resectoscope is directed to the inflamed organ without affecting other pelvic organs.
Adenomectomy is the removal of the gland for prostatitis in an "open" way, which is also known as prostatectomy. The advanced inflammatory process leads to the fact that it becomes impossible to reach the inflamed gland without opening it. In this case, conventional surgical instruments are used to completely remove the prostate. This isan extreme measure, which is prescribed only when other methods of treatment are impossible and there is a danger to the body. After a long period of rehabilitation, a person returns to a normal lifestyle with unlimited physical activity. Adenomectomy always ends in complete impotence. Prostatitis never recurs.
Minimally invasive treatment methods
In modern medicine, there are many ways to treat prostatitis in chronic forms that do not require surgical intervention. New techniques have proven to be more effective than traditional surgery, so they are used everywhere. Official medicine recognizes the following treatment methods:
- Exposure to ultrasonic waves.Prostatitis only affects the prostate, so UV treatment focuses radiation on this organ. Regular procedures reduce symptoms, relieve swelling and pain. The process is not accompanied by pain, does not cause irritation and is harmless to the genitourinary system.
- Thermal treatment.Prostatitis and its manifestations can be reduced to "no" by microwave thermotherapy. High temperatures are applied directly to the prostate, causing it to decrease in size. The method is not used if prostatitis has entered an acute phase: in this case, heating worsens the condition.
- Cryodestruction.Painless partial removal of inflamed gland tissue with liquid nitrogen with a minimal recovery period. Chronic prostatitis disappears completely if antibacterial treatment is carried out in parallel with strengthening the immune system. Reproductive function is not impaired, prostatitis has a minimal chance of returning.
- Inductotherapy.Complex laser and magnetic field treatment normalizes blood circulation, initiates regeneration processes and relieves pain due to inflammation. The technique in the case of prostatitis has an auxiliary effect: induction therapy enhances the effect of drugs by one and a half to two times, but without drugs it gives a short-term result.
- Laser processing.If chronic prostatitis is accompanied by long phases of exacerbation, laser therapy is prescribed. The laser evaporates excess moisture, stopping the growing area of tissue damage from prostatitis. The treatment has a stimulating effect: the body's cells are activated, the natural defense is activated and tissue regeneration occurs.
One of the new methods is the mechanical expansion of the urethral walls. This method does not cure chronic prostatitis, but contributes to the almost complete disappearance of its symptoms. Reducing the contact area promotes faster healing and prevents the spread of the lesion. To increase the distance between the walls of the urethra, a catheter with an inflatable balloon (balloon dilation) or a cylindrical polymer frame (stenting) is inserted. Methods can be combined to achieve the desired result. The technique is not used if prostatitis has reached an acute stage.
How to treat
If you suspect prostatitis, consult your doctor first. Only based on the examination, the urologist will be able to confirm the chronic nature of the disease and prescribe treatment. The signs of prostatitis are similar to other diseases of the pelvic organs, so you should not self-medicate.
After the diagnosis, follow the doctor's recommendations and undergo regular examinations by a urologist. Prostatitis can be treated carefully and patiently: do not neglect hygiene procedures in the acute stages of the disease, take medication on an hourly basis and the disease will subside.
If prostatitis causes severe suffering, ask your doctor to give you a referral for prostate massage or recommend a private clinic that provides this service. Massage enhances the effect of the treatment. After the first session, you will notice that prostatitis feels less acute: the massage movements relax the pelvic organs, bring relief and start the natural processes of tissue regeneration. The chronic nature of prostatitis will be significantly reduced: signs of inflammation will bother you less often.
Men suffering from prostatitis should abandon traditional medicine for the entire course of treatment. Decoctions, poultices, poultices and other folk remedies do not cure prostatitis in certain forms. They can relieve discomfort or worsen the inflammatory process overnight.
The same applies to self-prescribed drugs. Prostatitis is treated with drugs selected after comprehensive laboratory tests. A random drug will not give 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 ways of using drugs for chronic prostatitis are selected individually. If you are offered to buy a drug that can treat prostatitis in any form, regardless of the cause, you should know: this is a fake. Follow the doctor's recommendations and stay healthy!