Prostatitis is commonly referred to as an inflammatory process that develops in the prostate gland in men. This disease is associated with unpleasant symptoms and is fraught with complications, one of which is infertility. So what is prostatitis and how dangerous is the disease to the health of the male urogenital system? It is recommended to consult a urologist with these questions. This doctor will tell you exactly why prostatitis occurs, what kind of prostatitis is, and how to treat it properly.
Lack of timely medical care causes the inflammation to transition to a chronic form. Treatment should be started immediately if symptoms of prostate disease occur. Otherwise, the infection can have dangerous consequences, including tissue hyperplasia. As it is extremely difficult to cure acute prostatitis on your own, see a urologist immediately. In case of an unfavorable course, the disease causes inflammation of the testicles, appendages and kidney structures.
Reasons for development
Prostate damage is not uncommon in modern men. Today, it is diagnosed as an independent disease and one of the symptoms of urological disorders - urethritis, prostate adenoma, cancer, kidney pathologies.
The causes of prostatitis are usually caused by infectious agents and predisposing factors. Inflammation is caused by staphylococci, E. coli, enterococci, and other common pathogens. It is extremely important to explore the causes of the disease that occurs in prostatitis in order to select effective drug therapy.
Vulnerable groups
Those who have a weakened immune system, sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract injuries and urinary habits are at risk. Not all men know why prostatitis is dangerous, what it is, and what factors can trigger the disease. A frivolous attitude to health often leads to a prolongation of the inflammatory process. The educational work of urologists helps to get a correct picture of a disease such as prostatitis and its possible consequences.
Predisposing factors
Urologists pay special attention to the probable causes of prostatitis: treatment will be much more effective if the main predisposing factors are affected. This will significantly reduce the risk of intermittent worsening of the inflammatory process.
Possible causes of prostate disease:
- worsening of kidney disease;
- injuries to the urogenital organs;
- hypothermia;
- increased radiation exposure in the body;
- spread of infection from other pelvic organs;
- violation of the normal rhythm of sexual activity;
- long stay in a sitting position;
- genital compression with tight underwear, pants and jeans;
- development of urological diseases, infection with sexually transmitted infections;
- chronic stress;
- general suppression of the immune system.
If prostatitis develops, the cause of the disease should be determined by a qualified professional. You must first contact a urologist. It will conduct an investigation and prescribe a comprehensive investigation.
Blood clotting as the main cause of prostatitis
Effective treatment of prostatitis at home is impossible without eliminating the factors that cause stagnant pelvic processes. Violation of blood flow causes the peroxidation of fats, the release of exudative fluid, and the appearance of internal swelling in the tissues of the gland. This creates favorable conditions for the active growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Once you know the probable causes of inflammation, you can understand how to cure prostatitis at home without the disease becoming a dangerous chronic form.
Diagnostic methods
To understand how to treat prostatitis in a given man, a diagnosis must be made. Only then can you choose certain medications and techniques. Based on the results of laboratory and instrumental tests, the urologist can determine how to treat prostatitis in a man and how to prevent relapses in the future.
The main diagnostic methods of prostatitis are:
- determining the level of PSA in the blood;
- Ultrasound of the prostate;
- laboratory diagnosis of blood and urine;
- ureteroscopy;
- cystoscopy;
- rectal examination of the gland;
- urodynamic examinations (cystometry, profilometry, uroflowmetry).
Comprehensive diagnostics help you quickly select effective treatments for prostatitis at home, prescribing medications designed to kill a particular infectious agent.
PSA test
The PSA test not only helps to detect the tumor processes in the gland, but also to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment of already diagnosed tumors and prostatitis. The method makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the therapy and reduce the risk of complications.
Thus, PSA screening, although a rather controversial type of early diagnosis of prostate cancer, in most cases allows for timely initiation of treatment, which is undoubtedly very important for a person with a chronic inflammatory and hyperplastic process.
Combined with other diagnostic methods that screen out false results in a prostate screening test, the PSA test is a fairly high-quality method for preventing cancer and monitoring ongoing therapy. If more than one positive result is repeated, the prostate tissue is taken for further biological examination.
Symptoms of the disease
In men, prostatitis can have different symptoms depending on the stage of the disease. The acute form of the disease most often occurs in the background of infection of the pelvic organs and progresses relatively easily, without symptoms of intoxication and fever. If these signs of prostatitis occur in men, see a urologist immediately to start treatment in time and to avoid complications.
Acute prostatitis is characterized by the following symptoms:
- frequent, painful urination;
- pain in the sacrum, genitals and perineum;
- pain syndrome is exacerbated during defecation, sexual intimacy;
- body temperature rises;
- feeling full bladder and partial emptying (due to compression of the ureter by an inflamed prostate);
- intoxication increases, muscle and joint pain occurs;
- urinary retention is possible.
If there is one or more likely signs of prostatitis, consult a specialist. Even if the health condition is satisfactory, the pathological process can continue with missing signs, but at the same time it can cause complications.
The course of chronic prostatitis
The chronic inflammatory process is almost asymptomatic. Men may experience mild pain while urinating, mild lethargy, chronic fatigue syndrome, and sexual dysfunction.
Men observe the following signs (depending on the form and stage of the inflammatory process):
- pain while urinating;
- partial or complete retention of urine;
- pain in the sacrum, perineum;
- increase in body temperature;
- severe weakness, decreased performance;
- painful bowel movements;
- decreased libido, impotence.
The erased image of the chronic form of the disease misleads the patient and delays the urologist's visit, and the delay is fraught with complications: prostate swelling, acute urinary retention, prostate abscess, inflammation of the testes and seminal vesicles, often leading to irreversible male infertility.
The clinical manifestations of prostatitis vary depending on the stage of the disease. When the process first develops, patients experience severe malaise, pain in the pubis and perineum, and painful, frequent urination. Body temperature can rise and pus can escape from the urethra. In the absence of medical care, the pathological process can be complicated by sepsis, an abscess of the prostate gland, vesiculitis, and inflammation of the testicles and their appendages (epididimo-orchitis).
Treatment of prostatitis
Prostatitis is treated at home. Hospitalization is recommended for purulent complications and severe intoxication syndrome. Specialists prescribe antibiotics (taking into account sensitivity) and perform anti-inflammatory therapy. After the acute process subsides, physiotherapy and prostate massage are prescribed.
As treatment of prostatitis at home is only possible after consultation with a doctor, no folk remedies or methods can be used without the permission of the urologist. Non-traditional methods are especially dangerous in severe cases of the disease. Treatment of prostatitis at home can lead to a recurrent transition of the pathology to chronic form.
Medical therapy
How to effectively treat prostatitis with drugs? Medications can be effective if they are selected based on the nature of the disease. Infectious agents can be identified by laboratory tests. It is better to ask a urologist about treating your prostate.
The following groups of drugs are used:
- antibiotics;
- analgesics;
- diuretics;
- anti-inflammatory.
Medications are prescribed in 2-4 week courses. A good, broad-spectrum antibiotic helps to destroy the infection in the tissues of the gland, preventing the infection from spreading. Treatment of chronic prostatitis at home takes 4-6 months. The inflammatory process that is started is much more difficult to cure and lasts longer.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is used primarily after the acute symptoms of the disease have disappeared, when the man's state of health returns to normal and complete urine output is restored. The goal of physiotherapy is to restore normal blood circulation. Deterioration of blood flow contributes to the active growth of pathogenic microorganisms.
Physiotherapy is especially recommended in the chronic course of the disease. Specialists prescribe laser treatments that have anti-inflammatory effects, stimulate local immunity, eliminate pain and discomfort, and kill microbes. Ultrasound and electromagnetic techniques are also used for prostatitis. It is possible to prescribe medical microclusters with drugs that have a therapeutic and curative effect.
Prostate massage
How to treat prostatitis with massage? The method is effective, but it is used a few weeks after starting treatment, when the acute pain goes away, urination returns to normal. Massage should not be performed by inexperienced persons. This can cause serious damage to health.
The technique is based on a gentle effect on the prostate. The massage helps the accumulated inflammatory secretion to enter the channels of the organ, from where it enters the urethra and leaves the body completely painlessly and safely. The method restores blood circulation in the pelvic organs, eliminating the preconditions for further growth of infectious microorganisms. Prostate massage copes well with stagnant processes and increases the effectiveness of antibiotics and other medications.
General recommendations
We recommend changing your lifestyle to avoid getting sexually transmitted diseases, hypothermia, and stressful situations. The man has to give up on tight underwear, which squeezes the genitals and disrupts blood circulation in the pool. Regular sex life is recommended, but beware of transmitting sexually transmitted infections through unprotected intimate contact.
Sharp violation of the diet can lead to a relapse of inflammation of the prostate. Do not abuse spices, condiments, smoked meats and alcohol. You should also give up strong coffee, overly salty foods and pickles.
Effectiveness of folk methods
Many people are interested and want to know how to cure prostatitis at home without the use of medication. But prostatitis requires medications, especially antibiotics. Only with their help is it possible to cure prostatitis at home without infectious complications.
There is an opinion that if the disease causes hypothermia, it is not necessary to take antibacterial drugs. Because most men have to treat prostatitis at home, antibiotics are often rejected in favor of traditional medicine. However, hypothermia or other seemingly harmless predisposing factors create prerequisites for the growth of Escherichia coli, staphylococci, and other microorganisms.
Therefore, you should not even try to learn how to treat your prostate in an uncontrolled way at home. This can be dangerous to a man’s life and reproductive health.