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 this disease is facilitated by an inactive lifestyle, addiction to cigarettes and alcohol, and excessive consumption of fatty and salty foods.
Like most diseases, prostatitis is easiest to treat in the early stages. The difficulty is that inflammation of the glands is practically not manifested for a long time. The disease is most often diagnosed in the late stages, or during seasonal exacerbations. How to identify the signs of prostatitis in men and its symptoms will be discussed in the article below.
What is prostate
The prostate is a small organ located below the urethra.The importance of this organ is difficult to overestimate, because it is responsible for normal urination and male strength. The shape and size of the prostate resembles a walnut; with age, the gland can increase in size.
Prostate tissue has a structure of glands and muscles, the glands are responsible for the production of hormones and prostate juice, and the muscles control the size of the urethral lumen.
The likelihood of developing this disease increases with age. According to statistics, the majority of patients suffering from prostate inflammation are men of retirement age.
However, in recent years, this disease has been diagnosed in men whose age does not exceed 30 years. Overall, 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 signals that indicate the presence of the disease.
The best treatment for prostatitis is done as early as possible, so it is important to know the characteristic symptoms of this disease. What symptoms can be used to determine the presence of problems with men's health?
The cause of the development of prostatitis
What is prostatitis in men? The prostate is a relatively vulnerable organ; many negative aspects can trigger glandular inflammation. If we talk about the reason for its appearance, there are two types of diseases: bacteriaAndviral.
Bacterial prostatitis, caused by pathogenic bacteria entering the prostate tissue. Often, microorganisms enter the body together with urine waste or through the circulatory system. The pathology occurred unexpectedly and developed rapidly, the body temperature rose, and the man felt severe pain in the groin.
If the patient ignores these symptoms, the results can be very unfavorable, even fatal. With chronic bacterial prostatitis, the symptoms will be expressed in 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 virus, rubella, cytomegalovirus and papillomavirus. This type of disease is rare and is characterized by fever, joint pain or a large skin rash.
Various factors can trigger the development of the disease:
- Complications of previous diseases;
- Hypothermia of pelvic organs;
- The presence of chronic infection in the female partner;
- Urethral reflux - if the prostate does not prevent the reverse flow of urine, bacterial infection enters the surface of the gland and inflammation begins;
- An inconsistent intimate life. Long-term abstinence and excessive sexual activity have similar negative effects;
- Blood stagnation 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;
- Weak immunity;
- Frequent stress and lack of sleep;
- The practice of intercourse interruptus, the deliberate prolongation of sexual intercourse.
Often, the early signs of prostatitis are characterized by difficulty urinating and pain in the penis.
Unfortunately, most men prefer to ignore these alarming signals from the body. A visit to a 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, inflammation progresses to a chronic stage.
The painful sensation was not so intense, and the man thought that everything had improved. In fact, the process continues, and soon a series of problems in the intimate sphere and frequent exacerbations of prostatitis begin.
It becomes more difficult to choose an effective drug for prostatitis in men; treatment at this stage will cost more, and therapy will take a lot of time. Therefore, it is important not to ignore the early signs of the disease, if you experience difficulty urinating or discomfort in the groin area, you should immediately visit a doctor.
Since prostatitis syndrome in men is not always pronounced, it is recommended to check the condition of the gland regularly, 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 inflammation of the prostate gland in men. The choice of treatment strategy is determined by the type of disease.
Practitioners distinguish two main types of disease:
- Acute prostatitis.This type of disease is quite easy to diagnose, because the inflammatory process manifests itself very clearly and quite clearly. The cause of inflammation is the presence of pathogenic flora. This disease can be treated quite successfully with appropriate antibiotics;
- Chronic prostatitis.When the acute inflammation of the gland does not heal or no therapy is carried out at all, the disease takes a chronic form. Symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men become less noticeable, and even they can be observed only during exacerbations (most often this happens in spring or autumn).
Often, chronic prostatitis is preceded by the onset of disturbing pain, but more often the disease develops without visible symptoms; This inflammatory course is observed in people engaged in sedentary work (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 the most common symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men, because the success of treatment depends on this.
If there are signs of bacterial prostatitis, expressed in general poisoning of the body, treatment will be based on the use of antibiotics. If inflammation is caused by stagnation of blood and lymph, the main focus is to adjust lifestyle and eliminate concomitant diseases.
Classification of symptoms of prostatitis
How does the disease manifest itself? Usually, all unpleasant symptoms that indicate the presence of disturbances in the function of the prostate gland are divided into three main groups:
- All kinds of deviations from the norm observed in the urinary system;
- Difficulties arising in the intimate sphere;
- Symptoms of severe depression are caused by a decrease in the amount of male hormones and sexual impotence.
All these symptoms can occur in the first stage of inflammation of the gland. Over time, symptoms will become more obvious, and more serious diseases may develop in the future.
The first signs of inflammation
The most common symptom of prostatitis is frequent 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 continuously.
Acute prostatitis occurs more significantly; often the manifestation of this form of the disease greatly interferes with normal life activities. Severity of the chronic form of the disease is rare, and during the recovery period after treatment, symptoms may disappear completely.
With prostatitis, the pain is usually localized in the groin area. Unpleasant sensations arise not only in the perineum - both the lower part and the lower abdomen can be painful. When urinating and ejaculating, a man feels discomfort in the scrotum, penis and testicles.
Difficulty urinating
One of the most worrying symptoms is problems with urination. The following characteristic signs should warn a man:
- The need to urinate too often;
- Discomfort caused by insufficient emptying of the bladder;
- Unreal urge to urinate;
- The flow during urination has low pressure and is often interrupted.
When the disease is in an advanced stage, prolonged urinary retention can often be observed. These symptoms indicate active inflammation of the prostate gland, and severe tissue swelling can also be observed.
Urine just does not pass through the urethra. The effects of inflammation can often be seen in the urine. Pathological impurities have the form of mucus threads, often they can be seen in the morning urine. Often this symptom is the only manifestation of the disease, this is especially true for 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 it).
Urinary incontinence coupled with pain is the first sign of prostatitis, so when it appears, you should not delay a visit to a urologist. The doctor prescribes several tests (for example, a general PSA blood test for prostatitis).
Intimate problems
Perhaps the most unpleasant symptom of prostatitis for men is sexual dysfunction. Manifestations of this disease usually appear at the stage of actively developing inflammation. Often, sexual dysfunction is a manifestation of chronic inflammation.
The most common symptoms are as follows:
- Erection flaccid. The habit of intercourse with a woman becomes impossible. Passion is short-lived, intercourse does not end with ejaculation;
- Ejaculate too quickly. Erection is good, but ejaculation occurs one to two minutes (or earlier) after inserting the penis into the vagina;
- Sensitivity becomes dull, sensations during sexual intercourse become less noticeable;
- Change in smell and color of semen. Inflammation can manifest itself in the form of an unpleasant and sharp smell of semen, yellow or brown pus spots are often noticeable;
- Psychological problems appear. Failure in bed has a negative effect on the nervous system, sleep is disturbed and well-being worsens.
Since a depressed state of mind creates stress, the patient often has attacks of aggression for no reason, and there is often a tendency to physical violence. What to do if irritation and stress constantly remind you of yourself?
In such a situation, prostatitis drug treatment should be carried out simultaneously with observation by a psychologist. For greater effectiveness, patients with such signs of prostatitis can be prescribed drugs from the antidepressant group.
Sometimes the help of a psychologist may be needed even after completing a course of treatment for prostatitis. Often, moist chronic prostatitis does not manifest at all, but becomes the cause of infertility. This form of the disease can only be detected during an examination related to the impossibility of giving birth.
The old inflammatory process does not manifest itself externally, but irreversibly changes the composition and structure of the seminal fluid. The number of viable active sperm decreases and their motility becomes insignificant.
General symptoms
Regardless of the existing form of the disease, prostatitis can be diagnosed with some general signs. These symptoms indicate the presence of an inflammatory process. If the chronic form of the disease is present, these symptoms are very mild, but in the acute stage of the disease it is impossible not to notice them.
A list of common symptoms is as follows:
- Body temperature rises. The more actively the inflammation spreads, the higher the temperature. This symptom becomes especially evident in acute bacterial prostatitis - the thermometer can show a number of 39-40 degrees. These symptoms are usually accompanied by pain in the groin;
- Headache, constant weakness and apathy;
- Pain in the muscles of the whole body or in the lower back;
- The cold that accompanies the rise in temperature.
An increase in temperature itself may 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 real cause can only be identified through a complete examination of the body.
Characteristic symptoms of various stages of the disease
Each stage of prostate inflammation is characterized by a set of symptoms. By carefully monitoring the body, a man can see warning signals from the body in time and start treating prostatitis in time.
There are three main stages of prostatitis:
- First stage.At this stage, inflammation begins to spread throughout the glandular tissue. A man periodically feels pain in the perineum, anus and lower back. The desire 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 secretion.
- Second stage.If the above symptoms are left unattended, the disease begins to develop. The size of inflammation and accompanying swelling decreases, but instead scar formation and damage to blood vessels begins. Painful sensations when visiting the toilet become more pronounced, a man experiences more discomfort, and failures in the intimate sphere occur more and more often. At this time, the development of concomitant diseases is observed - radiculitis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, heart problems.
- The third stage of prostatitis is considered chronic.At this stage, the gland becomes covered with scars, and the degeneration of glandular tissue into muscle tissue is observed. During the examination of such patients, necrosis (tissue death) may be detected. An increase in the size of glandular tissue compresses the urethra, and emptying the bladder becomes impossible. Changes can affect not only the urinary system; inflammation often spreads to the kidneys and other organs.
How to treat inflammation? Treatment of prostatitis is a rather long process. Along with drug treatment, the patient is prescribed a special diet and massage. Gymnastics is also useful for prostatitis; a set of exercises for him is prepared by the doctor.
Any stage and form of prostatitis threatens a man with serious complications. Prevention of chronic prostatitis is very important. medicine to maintain men's health is prescribed by the doctor after examination.
Inflammation can spread to neighboring organs, causing infertility and even the development of cancer. Careful attention to your own health, appropriate prevention of prostatitis and timely visits to the urologist will help prevent the development of the disease.