In medicine, infection means infection of organs or tissues with various microorganisms, as well as parasites and some insects. Thus, infectious prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.
The first group of microorganisms is increasingly becoming the culprit. Consider what causes can cause a prostate infection, how the disease will manifest, and how it can be treated in men.
Causes of infectious prostatitis
A healthy person has a defense mechanism against various foreign organisms - the immune system. If this mechanism fails or conditions are created in which the infections are stronger than the immunity, the prostate tissue becomes infected, which leads to an inflammatory process and unpleasant symptoms.
Infectious prostatitis can be caused by:
- Sex with an infected partner. Even if a woman does not have visible symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases, but there is a cause, a man can become infected. As a rule, urethritis begins first, then a urinary tract infection enters the prostate and causes prostatitis there.
- Existing foci of infection in the body. The causative agent can be entered into the prostate by blood flow from other organs in case of pneumonia, influenza, caries and other diseases.
- Lifestyle characteristics. Alcohol, nicotine, lack of physical activity weaken the immune system, as a result, bacteria that constantly inhabit the skin and mucous membranes of a person become the culprits of the disease.
- Injuries. During sports, fights or accidents, mechanical action on the perineum can occur, which leads to damage to prostate tissue and can cause an infectious form of the disease.
- Hypothermia. Due to the low ambient temperature and subsequent freezing, the immune system may not be able to cope with the bacteria that have entered the body.
Prostate infection is possible with some medical procedures and operations. For example, prostatitis can be caused by catheterization, which is done in violation of all rules and regulations. In this case, urethritis develops first, and only then, as a complication, prostatitis. Also, the disease can be a complication of a biopsy.
Sexually transmitted infections are the most dangerous for men's health.
Symptoms of an infectious form
Infectious prostatitis always has an acute course, the symptoms appear unexpectedly for the patient, they quickly intensify and cause serious concern. It is impossible to ignore the signs of this disease.
Men come to doctors with the following ailments:
- Sharp, often throbbing pain between anus and testicles. It can be "given" to the genitals, lower back or abdomen.
- Increase in body temperature to 38-39 degrees, fever, chills. The temperature in the rectum can be increased, and in the armpit it can be kept within normal limits.
- Frequent urination and urge to urinate, especially at night.
- Pain when urinating, occasional stream of urine, tingling in the urethra.
- Weakness, nausea, loss of appetite, pain in muscles or joints.
- Stool disorder - constipation or pain during the act of defecation.
- Decreased sex drive, slow erection, painful ejaculation.
If a man does not rush to the doctor and suffers from pain or tries to treat himself with antibiotics and folk remedies, after some time the pain and urination disorders may pass. The illusion of recovery appears. In fact, the infection did not go away, and the acute form of prostatitis grew into a chronic one. This means that from time to time a man will have exacerbations and there is also a risk of developing infertility.
Infectious prostatitis can lead to blood poisoning and death of the patient, so there is no time to waste trying to deal with the pathology on your own.
Modern diagnostic methods
The clinical picture is so pronounced that the doctor can make an accurate diagnosis based on the above symptoms. In addition to typical complaints, the anamnesis obtained at the reception is also taken into account - so it is important to contact the medical institution in a timely manner.
To choose the right treatment tactics, it is important to understand more precisely what is happening in the body and which pathogen is causing the pathology. Therefore, a certain amount of testing is required for this case.
During the scheduled appointment, the doctor will perform the following activities:
- They will measure body temperature in the anus and armpits (in infectious acute prostatitis there will be a difference in readings up to 0, 5 ° C).
- Check the condition of the lymph nodes in the pelvic region.
- Palpate the lower abdomen, perineum, lower back.
Prostate massage in this form of the disease is not performed due to severe pain. Also, such manipulation can cause the transmission of infection from the gland to other organs and systems, with subsequent probable death. Even the suspicion of infectious prostatitis is a contraindication for such procedures.
Laboratory tests of blood, urine and bacterial cultures are important. With their help, you can determine the type of pathogen and confirm the inflammation.
Among the instrumental methods, TRUS, CT, MRI, uroflowmetry (to determine the rate of urine flow) and other methods can be used, at the doctor's discretion. Transrectal ultrasound examination is usually sufficient in combination with laboratory methods and anamnesis data. CT or MRI is done if a tumor is suspected or in suspicious cases.
Modern principles of treatment
If there are no pronounced signs of intoxication of the body, treatment is allowed at home. Otherwise, hospitalization, intravenous infusions of antibacterial agents and increased supervision of medical staff will be required. In both cases, the sick person needs to rest in bed - even a little physical activity can cause the infection to spread through the body through the bloodstream.
The treatment of patients aims to achieve two goals: suppression of pathogenic microflora and improvement of general well-being. On the whole, moving in this direction is designed to prevent death or the development of complications.
Fighting infection
If laboratory tests show that infectious prostatitis is caused by bacteria (which is the most common), the use of antibacterial agents should become the basis of therapy. If such treatment is started, then the improvement in well-being will come after 2-3 days. However, the drug must be chosen correctly for this. The duration of the medication is also important - it can reach up to a month, depending on the specific medication and the degree of prostate damage. Treatment cannot be stopped.
In addition to the type of pathogen, the doctor must consider some other factors.
- Individual characteristics of the patient, condition of the heart, liver and kidneys.
- If possible, make a choice in favor of a stronger drug, which will overshadow such bacteriostatic agents.
- The effect of antibacterial drug therapy should be bactericidal, ie aimed at destroying the pathogen, and not at stopping its development in prostate tissues.
For these reasons, infectious prostatitis cannot be treated alone. Without medical education and without the knowledge of interpreting diagnostic measures, it is almost impossible to choose the right antibacterial substance. Delay, as well as wrong treatment in this case, can cost lives.
Symptomatic treatment
The intensity of pain in infectious prostatitis is such that standard painkillers and antispasmodics may be useless. In such exceptional cases, to relieve pain, the doctor may prescribe narcotics in a short course.
You can also assign:
- Diuretics (if there is no acute urinary retention) to prevent cystitis.
- Laxatives (if constipation) to relieve prostate pressure.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Alpha-blockers - to normalize the urination process.
- Muscle relaxants to relieve pelvic floor muscle spasm.
If acute urinary retention began during infectious prostatitis, a urinary catheter may be placed in the patient.
If during the therapy it becomes obvious that the patient's condition does not improve, that is the reason to do an additional TRUS in order to exclude a possible prostate abscess. In suspicious cases, a biopsy of the prostate tissue may be done. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the patient undergoes emergency surgery to open and drain the abscess. Antibiotic therapy will not be canceled in this case.
Danger of infectious prostatitis
If a man consults a doctor in time and has not violated his prescriptions, recovery almost always occurs. In some variants of the development of events, the transition to a chronic form or the occurrence of chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is possible.
Other likely consequences:
- pyelonephritis or cystitis;
- blood poisoning;
- fistula formation.
Infectious prostatitis responds well to treatment if started on time. For this, a person must listen to the state of his health. If the pain begins in the perineal region with a simultaneous rise in body temperature in the anus and difficulty urinating, consult a doctor immediately. Using folk remedies and following the advice of a friend or wife can end in disaster.