One of the most common diseases among men is prostatitis, the ICD-10 code is 41. What type of disease is prostatitis? The spread of the disease is facilitated by a sedentary lifestyle, addiction to cigarettes 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 the inflammation of the gland practically does not manifest itself for a long time. The disease is most often diagnosed in the later stages or during a seasonal exacerbation. The following article will discuss how to identify the signs of prostatitis in men and its symptoms.
What is the prostate?
The prostate is a small organ located below the urethra.It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this organ, since it is responsible for normal urination and male strength. The shape and size of the prostate resembles a walnut; With age, the gland may increase in size.
The prostate tissue has a glandular and muscular structure, the glands are responsible for the production of hormones and prostate juice, and the muscles regulate the size of the lumen of the urethra.
The likelihood of developing the disease increases with age. According to statistics, the majority of patients suffering from inflammation of the prostate are men of retirement age.
However, in recent years the disease has been diagnosed in men whose age does not exceed 30 years. In total, prostatitis of one type or another is present in 30% of the male population.
To avoid the unpleasant consequences of the disease, it is important for a man to pay attention to his well-being and not ignore the appearance of alarming signs indicating the presence of a disease.
The best treatment for prostatitis is done as soon as possible, so it is important to know the characteristic symptoms of the disease. What symptoms can be used to determine the presence of problems with men's health?
Causes of the development of prostatitis
What is prostatitis in men? The prostate is a fairly vulnerable organ; Numerous negative aspects can cause inflammation of the gland. If we talk about the reasons for its appearance, there are two types of disease: bacterialANDviral.
bacterial prostatitis, caused by pathogenic bacteria that enter the prostate tissue. Most often, microorganisms enter the body along with urine waste or through the circulatory system. The pathology occurs unexpectedly and progresses rapidly, the body temperature rises, and the man feels severe pain in the groin.
If the patient ignores these symptoms, the result can be very unfavorable and even fatal. In chronic bacterial prostatitis, the symptoms will be expressed in the form of severe pain during exacerbations.
Infectious (bacterial) prostatitis. The causative agent of the disease in this case is a virus. The most common pathogens are influenza viruses, rubella, cytomegalovirus and papillomavirus. This type of illness is rare and is characterized by fever, joint pain, or profuse skin rashes.
Several factors can provoke the development of the disease:
- Complications of previous diseases;
- Hypothermia of the pelvic organs;
- The presence of a chronic infection in the female partner;
- Urethral reflux: If the prostate does not prevent the reverse flow of urine, a bacterial infection enters the surface of the gland and inflammation begins;
- Inconsistent intimate life. Prolonged abstinence and excessive sexual activity have equally negative effects;
- Stagnation of blood in the genitourinary system - may appear against the background of hemorrhoids or other diseases;
- Hormonal imbalance. If the gland produces an insufficient amount of male hormones, muscle tone gradually weakens and erectile dysfunction occurs;
- Weakened immunity;
- Regular stress and lack of sleep;
- The practice of coitus interruptus, the deliberate prolongation of sexual relations.
Most often, the first signs of prostatitis are characterized by difficulty urinating and pain in the penis.
Unfortunately, most men prefer to ignore this alarming signal from the body. The visit to the urologist is postponed until later; Treatment, at best, is limited to taking pills recommended by a friend or colleague. As a result of this approach, the inflammation progresses to the chronic stage.
The painful sensations are not as intense and the man thinks that everything has improved. In fact, the process continues and soon a series of problems in the intimate sphere and periodic exacerbations of prostatitis begin.
It becomes more difficult to choose an effective drug for prostatitis in men; Treatment at this stage will cost much more, and therapy will take a long time. Therefore, it is important not to ignore the first signs of the disease, if you have difficulty urinating or discomfort in the groin area, you should immediately visit a doctor.
Since prostatitis syndromes in men are not always pronounced, it is recommended to periodically monitor the condition of the gland, 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 prostate inflammation in men. The choice of treatment strategy is determined by the type of disease.
Doctors distinguish two main types of disease:
- Acute prostatitis.This type of disease is quite easy to diagnose, since the inflammatory process manifests itself in a very noticeable and quite pronounced way. The cause of inflammation is the presence of pathogenic flora. The disease can be treated quite successfully with the right antibiotics;
- Chronic prostatitis.When acute inflammation of the gland is not cured or no treatment is carried out, the disease acquires a chronic form. Pronounced symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men become less, and even these may be noticed only during exacerbation (this most often occurs in spring or autumn).
Often, chronic prostatitis is preceded by the appearance of persistent pain, but more often the disease develops without any visible symptoms; This course of inflammation is observed in people who perform sedentary jobs (office workers, drivers).
The cause of inflammation is poor circulation in the genitourinary system, which occurs with a lack of physical activity and prolonged sexual abstinence.Everyone should know which symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men are the most common, since the success of the treatment depends on it.
If there are signs of bacterial prostatitis, expressed in general intoxication of the body, treatment will be based on the use of antibiotics. If the inflammation is caused by stagnation of blood and lymph, the main attention will be to adjust the lifestyle and eliminate concomitant diseases.
Classification of prostatitis symptoms.
How does the illness emerge? Normally, all unpleasant symptoms indicating the presence of disturbances in the functioning of the prostate are divided into three main groups:
- All types of deviations from the norm observed in the urinary system;
- Difficulties that arise in the intimate sphere;
- Severe signs of depression caused by a decrease in the amount of male hormones and sexual impotence.
All of these symptoms can occur in the early stages of inflammation of the gland. Over time, symptoms will become more and more pronounced and more serious illnesses may develop in the future.
First signs of inflammation.
The most common primary sign of prostatitis is constant pain in the lower abdomen. At the same time, the nature and localization of unpleasant sensations can be very diverse. A man feels periodic cutting pain when urinating, but in some cases the pain is felt constantly.
Acute prostatitis occurs more prominently; Manifestations of this form of the disease often greatly interfere with normal life activities. Exacerbations of the chronic form of the disease occur infrequently and during the recovery period after treatment, symptoms may disappear completely.
In prostatitis, the pain is usually located in the groin. Unpleasant sensations arise not only in the perineum: both the lower back and the lower abdomen can hurt. When urinating and ejaculating, the man feels discomfort in the scrotum, penis and testicles.
Difficulty urinating
One of the most alarming symptoms is problems urinating. The following characteristic signs should alert a man:
- The need to urinate too frequently;
- Discomfort caused by insufficient emptying of the bladder;
- Unrealistic urge to urinate;
- The stream during urination has low pressure and is 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 gland and severe inflammation of the tissue may also be observed.
Urine simply does not pass through the urethra. Traces of inflammation can often be seen in the urine. Pathological impurities occur in the form of mucous threads, most often they can be seen in the morning urine. Often this symptom is the only manifestation of the disease, this is especially true in the chronic form of the disease.
If prostatitis is not treated in time, in most cases prostate adenoma develops (proliferation of glandular tissue and the formation of nodes and tumors in them).
Urinary incontinence combined with pain are the first signs of prostatitis, so when they appear, a visit to the urologist cannot be postponed. The doctor prescribes various tests (for example, a general PSA blood test for prostatitis).
intimate problems
Perhaps the most unpleasant symptom of prostatitis for men is sexual dysfunction. This manifestation of the disease usually appears at the stage of actively progressing inflammation. Very often, sexual dysfunction is a manifestation of old inflammation.
The most common symptoms are the following:
- flaccid erection. Habitual copulation with a woman becomes impossible. The excitement is short-lived, intercourse does not end with ejaculation;
- Too fast ejaculation. An erection is fine, but ejaculation occurs a minute or two (or sooner) after insertion of the penis into the vagina;
- Sensitivity becomes dull, sensations during sexual intercourse become less pronounced;
- Change in odor and color of semen.. Inflammation can manifest itself in the form of an unpleasant, pungent odor of semen, spots of yellow or brown pus are often noted;
- Psychological problems appear.. Failures in bed negatively affect the nervous system, sleep is disturbed and well-being worsens.
Since a depressed state of mind causes stress, patients often experience attacks of causeless aggression and there is often a tendency to physical violence. What to do if irritation and stress constantly remind you of yourself?
In such situations, drug treatment of prostatitis should be carried out simultaneously with the observation of a psychologist. For greater effectiveness, a patient with such signs of prostatitis can be prescribed drugs from the group of antidepressants.
Sometimes, the help of a psychologist may be necessary even after completing a treatment for prostatitis. Often sluggish chronic prostatitis does not manifest itself at all, but becomes a cause of infertility. This form of the disease can only be detected during an examination related to the inability to have children.
The old inflammatory process does not manifest itself externally, but irreversibly changes the composition and structure of the seminal fluid. The number of active viable sperm decreases and their motility becomes insignificant.
General symptoms
Regardless of the existing form of the disease, prostatitis can be diagnosed by a number of 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:
- Increased body temperature. The more actively the inflammation spreads, the higher the temperature will be. This symptom becomes especially evident in acute bacterial prostatitis: the thermometer can read figures of 39 to 40 degrees. This symptom is usually accompanied by pain in the groin;
- Headache, constant weakness and apathy;
- Pain in muscles throughout the body or in the lower back;
- Chills accompanying an increase in temperature.
An increase in temperature alone can indicate inflammation of any nature. Sometimes (for example, with sluggish chronic prostatitis) a temperature of 37-38 degrees is observed for a long time. The true cause can only be identified through a complete examination of the body.
Characteristic symptoms of the different stages of the disease.
Each stage of prostate inflammation is characterized by a set of symptoms. By carefully monitoring the body, a man can notice the body's warning signals in time and start treating prostatitis in a timely manner.
There are three main stages of prostatitis:
- First stage.At this stage, the inflammation begins to spread throughout all the tissues of the gland. A man periodically feels pain in the perineum, anus and lower back. The urge to urinate becomes more frequent, the process itself is accompanied by burning and pain in the urethra. At the same time, the level of sexual desire decreases and unpleasant sensations accompany ejaculation and discharge.
- Second stage.If the above symptoms are not treated, the disease begins to progress. The size of the inflammation and accompanying swelling decrease, but instead the formation of scars and damage to blood vessels begins. Painful sensations when going to the bathroom become more noticeable, the man experiences more and more discomfort, and failures in the intimate sphere occur more and more frequently. It is at this time that the development of concomitant ailments 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 the degeneration of glandular tissue into muscle tissue is observed. During examination of these patients, necrosis (tissue death) can be detected. The increase in size of the glandular tissues compresses the urethra and complete emptying of the bladder becomes impossible. The changes can affect not only the urinary system; The inflammation often spreads to the kidneys and other organs.
How to treat inflammation? Prostatitis treatment is a fairly long process. In addition to drug treatment, patients are prescribed a special diet and massages. Gymnastics is also useful for prostatitis, a doctor prepares a series of exercises.
Any stage and form of prostatitis threatens a man with serious complications. Prevention of chronic prostatitis is of great importance; The doctor prescribes medications to maintain men's health after the examination.
The inflammation can spread to neighboring organs, causing infertility and even the development of cancer. Careful attention to your own health, proper prevention of prostatitis and timely visits to a urologist will help prevent the development of the disease.