Acute prostatitis is an inflammatory process in the prostate gland, from which no man is protected. According to expert reviews, this ailment is detected in half of men of reproductive age. Acute prostatitis is an infectious lesion of the prostate gland, accompanied by edema and the formation of purulent foci in the organ. Some symptoms appear immediately, while others are detected only during diagnosis. What are the causes of the disease, how does it manifest itself, and what treatment measures are taken?
Why does it arise?
The causes of the acute form of the disease in men lie in the infection of organs with gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, Proteus, Klebsiela and others) and gram-positive (streptococci, staphylococci).
Acute bacterial prostatitis often develops as a result of urogenital infections that are transmitted through unprotected sex, such as:
- Chlamydia.
- Candidiasis.
- Gonorrhea.
- Trichomoniasis and some others.
Furthermore, urethritis is often the cause of acute prostatitis: pathogenic bacteria enter through the prostatic ducts that open in the wall of the urethra. Much less often, infection occurs when men develop acute cystitis and bacteria from the bladder enter the prostate. There is also a hematogenous infection method, in which pathogens spread throughout the body through the bloodstream.
Besides these reasons, there are others:
- Intimate life disorders (interruption and short duration of sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction).
- Body hypothermia.
- Inactivity caused by a sedentary lifestyle or job.
- Pathology of the rectum.
- Consequences of surgical intervention on the urogenital organs.
- Respiratory viral infections.
- Stagnant phenomena that form in the vessels of the pelvis, often leading to a violation of the drainage of the ducts of the prostate gland.
- Difficulty defecating, varicose veins.
The causes are diverse, but all contribute to the development of acute prostatitis.
How does the pathology manifest itself?
Symptoms generally depend on the stage of inflammation.
In the catarrhal stage, the following symptoms of acute prostatitis are observed:
- Severity and painful symptoms in the genital area.
- Frequent and painful emptying of the bladder, which is especially worrisome for men at night.
- A slight increase in temperature is possible.
- No signs of intoxication.
On palpation, no changes or slight enlargement of the prostate may be found. In men, this test causes mild pain. Symptoms of an acute type of prostatitis are also detected by tests. In the secret of the gland, an increased level of leukocytes is found, the presence of threads of mucus and pus, and leukocytes also appear in the urine. Timely treatment of a type of catarrhal prostatitis will allow a person to recover in a week and a half.
Acute follicular prostatitis has more severe symptoms. Men are concerned about pain in the perineum, which is applied to the sacral region, the anus. In this stage, the patient feels pain when urinating. The pain also leads to difficulty defecating. The temperature rises to 37, 5-38 ° C.
Certain symptoms are detected and diagnosed. When probing, the doctor determines that the gland has increased and thickened, while it becomes asymmetrical, when pressed, it causes a sharp pain. The number of purulent filaments and leukocytes in the urine increases, they are deposited in the urine as sediment. If appropriate treatment is prescribed, the prognosis is favorable.
If the disease is not treated, the next stage develops: acute parenchymal prostatitis. Symptoms of this form of the disease in men are as follows:
- Temperatures rise to 39-40 ° С.
- The patient is shaking.
- There are signs of general weakness.
- Loss of appetite, but constant thirst.
- At first, urination becomes much more frequent, difficult, and after a while it stops.
- The patient suffers from constipation and flatulence.
The symptoms of the acute type of prostatitis are more pronounced, for example, the pains radiate to the rectal area, become pulsatile. Sometimes the symptoms are supplemented by edema of the pararectal tissues, in this case the rectal investigation method cannot be applied. A mixture of pus is observed in the urine. An acute ailment must be treated urgently, otherwise an abscess will develop. In the event that a weakly virulent pathogen enters the body, the symptoms practically do not appear, then they say that the patient has a subacute type of prostatitis.
How to be treated?
Men are interested in the question of how to treat acute prostatitis. According to experts, the treatment of acute prostatitis is based, first of all, on eliminating the causes of the disease. As a rule, drugs with antimicrobial action are used. Antibiotics are selected individually in each case based on the diagnoses made. Taking antibiotics lasts until full recovery. Such treatment, according to the reviews of doctors, will make it possible to stop acute processes that lead to the active reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms in the tissues of the infected organ of a man. Treatment of acute prostatitis should be comprehensive.
Not only antibiotics are used, but also other drugs:
- Immunostimulating drugs.
- Means that improve blood circulation.
- Non-steroidal inflammatory drugs.
- Vitamin complexes.
- Herbal medicine.
- Sedatives and antidepressants.
Preparations with analgesic and antispasmodic effects can relieve men of unpleasant painful sensations. Suppositories exert a similar effect to introduce into the anus with an anesthetic in the composition. Suppositories, as a rule, have antibacterial properties, gently acting directly on the cause of the disease - the pathogen. At home, rectal suppositories with sea buckthorn oil, propolis, honey, and enemas with a warm decoction of herbs will help to cope with pain.
To normalize metabolic processes in the prostate gland in men and accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissues, a course of bioregulatory peptides is prescribed. Treatment also includes immunostimulants and modulators, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tablets or injections), injectable solutions, and vitamin complexes.
If antibiotics or NSAIDs do not resolve the infection, hormones are included in the treatment.
Once the main symptoms of acute prostatitis have been eliminated, the treatment is complemented with physiotherapy:
- Electrophoresis.
- Prostate massage.
- microwave and some others.
A good effect, as evidenced by patient reviews, is the treatment of prostatitis with phytopreparations.
These medications are recommended for home use for preventive purposes. Herbal tablets can replace decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs that are prepared at home.
Symptoms of the acute type of prostatitis perfectly eliminate the decoctions of the flowers of tansy, hop cones, celandine. Field horsetail, calamus root, and chamomile work well.
With a significant delay in urine output in acute prostatitis, a catheter is not inserted; treatment is carried out by excision of the bladder wall - cystotomy.
If a prostate abscess is diagnosed, then the treatment is performed surgically, while the abscess is opened, the cavity is drained. In the acute form, bed rest is shown, as well as the rejection of sexual intercourse, diet food.
As the reviews of doctors demonstrate, the timely identification of the causes of the acute form of the disease and a competently performed treatment process can cure the disease in a fairly short time.