Inflammatory processes in the prostate gland (prostate) are commonly called prostatitis. The prostate gland is the only male organ located in the pelvic region below the bladder. It performs several functions: the secretion of the prostate is part of the sperm, the gland acts as a sphincter during sexual arousal - blocking the entry of the bladder.
Prostatitis: urgency of the problem
According to American researchers, prostatitis is found in about 25% of patients with urological problems. In general, about 9% of the male population worldwide suffers from this disease.
In one country alone, this pathology affects about 35% of young men, and in 7-30% of cases prostatitis has complex forms and ranks first among all diseases of the male reproductive system. This is most likely due to the mentality of our population - only a small part of men seek qualified medical care in a timely manner. Often, the symptoms of prostatitis are ignored until the condition really gets worse.
Although the disease does not pose a serious threat to life, it can complicate a man's life, cause him severe depression, deprive him of simple pleasures, and make him extremely sterile.
Acute and chronic prostatitis
According to the classification adopted in the United States in 1995, prostatitis is divided into the following forms:
- Acute bacterial prostatitis;
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis;
- Chronic abacterial prostatitis;
- Asymptomatic prostatitis.
Acute prostatitis is the result of a bacterial attack on the gland. These can be microbes, viruses, protozoa and even fungi. Treatment of acute prostatitis is based on the use of antibacterial drugs.
Chronic prostatitis, which is not associated with infectious agents, deserves special attention because it occurs 8 times more often than bacterial prostatitis, the origin of which is unknown and has caused a lot of controversy over therapy methods.
Thus, there is an uncertain etiology of chronic prostatitis that is not associated with infections. A number of factors have been identified that contribute to the slow development of inflammation in the prostate.
- Sedentary lifestyle (trucks, office workers);
- Intimate life disorders: very rare or very frequent intercourse, intermittent intercourse, sexual dysfunction;
- Constipation;
- Hypothermia and frequent infectious diseases;
- Presence of sexually transmitted infections and other urological diseases in history;
- Weakened immunity and severe chronic diseases.
Symptoms of prostatitis: such conflicting opinions of urologists
Acute prostatitis, as a rule, is accompanied by general toxic symptoms: fever, loss of strength, decreased mood, weakness, etc. A man complains of pain in the lower abdomen or lower back, scrotum or groin. Pain, urination, feces, manifests itself even after sexual intercourse. The man can detect the discharge of gray or gray-green fluid from the urethra, there is blood in the semen.
While the views of urologists coincide with acute prostatitis, the controversy arises over the clinical manifestations of chronic prostatitis.
Most experts consider erectile dysfunction to be the main symptom of chronic prostatitis. We hear about it on TV screens advertising prostatitis drugs. Many men attribute their bed failures to prostatitis, and self-prescribe treatment with advertised medications.
A doctor at the Institute of Urology, an oncologist and researcher, believes that this is a misrepresentation of the male half to promote the drug. According to him, chronic prostatitis does not cause erectile dysfunction, and episodes of male impotence are only psycho-emotional blocks and self-hypnosis. In this case, the treatment of erectile dysfunction is discussed with a psychotherapist.
The doctor notes that recently prostatitis has become a commercial disease in which careless doctors make money. At the time of application, a non-existent disease is diagnosed, many diagnostic procedures and expensive treatments are prescribed, and then the patient is inspired by the symptoms alone, waiting for manifestations and not waiting for themselves.
Indisputable symptoms of prostatitis are pelvic pain, pain when urinating and after ejaculation. An enlarged, inflamed gland can compress nearby organs, leading to constipation and difficulty urinating. Pain after ejaculation is caused by the contraction of the ducts after the release of sperm, and the contraction of the inflamed gland continues with pain.
The quality of sexual life is impaired: the man notes that he is less interested in sex and pleasure is "erased", there is no feeling of satisfaction with intimacy. Painful discharges are another reason to reject intimacy.
The development of infertility with chronic inflammation of the prostate gland is associated with changes in the spermogram, which are inevitable due to changes in the chemical composition of prostate secretions. Sperm count decreases, pathological forms or dead sperm appear.
How to protect men's health?
A man's health is in the hands of a competent urologist! See a doctor as soon as signs of prostatitis are found. The treatment is long and complicated. Depending on the etiology, it may include antibiotic therapy, anti-inflammatory and decongestant drugs, peptide regulators, analgesics, prostate massage, and physiotherapy.
Married men are less likely to get prostatitis. Regular sex with a partner does not give a chance for the development of stagnant and inflammatory processes in the gland. Therefore, marriage and fidelity to one's spouse, no matter how sensitive it may sound, is a protective measure for prostatitis.