Inflammatory processes in the prostate gland (prostate) are generally called prostatitis. The prostate gland is an exclusively male organ located in the pelvic region below the bladder. It performs several functions: the secret of the prostate is part of the sperm, at the time of sexual arousal, the gland plays the role of a sphincter - it blocks the entrance of the bladder.
Prostatitis: the urgency of the problem
According to American researchers, prostatitis is detected in approximately 25% of patients with urological problems. And, in general, about 9% of the male population of the world suffers from this disease.
In a single country, this pathology covers about 35% of young men, and in 7-30% prostatitis has complicated forms and ranks first among all diseases of the male reproductive system. This is most likely due to the mindset of our population: only a small percentage of men seek qualified medical help on time. Most of the time, the signs of prostatitis are ignored until the situation becomes really serious.
Although the disease does not pose a serious threat to life, it can complicate a man's life, lead to severe depression, deprive him of simple pleasures and, to an extreme degree, render him sterile.
Acute and chronic prostatitis
According to the classification adopted in 1995 in the United States, 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. The treatment of acute prostatitis is based on the use of antibacterial drugs.
Chronic prostatitis, which is not associated with infectious agents, deserves special attention, since it occurs 8 times more often than bacterial prostatitis, has an unknown origin and generates much controversy about the methods of therapy.
So, chronic prostatitis, not associated with infections, has an unclear etiology. Several factors have been identified that contribute to the slow development of inflammation in the prostate.
- Sedentary lifestyle (truck drivers, office workers);
- Disorders in intimate life: too rare or too frequent intercourse, interrupted intercourse, sexual perversion;
- Constipation;
- Hypothermia and frequent infectious diseases;
- Sexual infections and presence of other urological diseases in history;
- Weakened immunity and serious chronic diseases.
Signs 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 back, scrotum or groin. Pain also manifests itself during urination, defecation, after intercourse. A man can detect the discharge of a gray or greenish-gray fluid from the urethra, there is blood in the semen.
If the opinions of urologists coincide with acute prostatitis, then disputes arise with the clinical manifestations of chronic prostatitis.
Most experts consider that the main symptom of chronic prostatitis is erectile dysfunction. We hear about this on television screens advertising prostatitis medications. Many men associate their failures in bed with prostatitis, and treatment with the advertised drugs is independently prescribed.
The oncourologist and researcher at the Institute of Urology believes that this is an implausible misrepresentation of the male half in order to promote drugs. In his opinion, chronic prostatitis does not cause erectile dysfunction and episodes of male impotence are just psycho-emotional blocks and self-hypnosis. Erectile dysfunction treatment in this case comes down to a conversation with a psychotherapist.
The doctor points out that prostatitis has recently become a commercial disease from which careless doctors make money. The applicant is diagnosed with a non-existent disease, many expensive diagnostic procedures and treatments are prescribed, and then the patient inspires the symptoms himself, waits for the manifestations and they do not wait.
The indisputable signs of prostatitis are pelvic pain, pain when urinating and after ejaculation. An enlarged and swollen gland can compress nearby organs, which can lead to constipation and difficulty urinating. The pain after ejaculation is due to the contraction of the ducts, after the release of sperm, and the contraction in the inflamed gland continues with pain.
The quality of sexual life is violated: the man notices that he is less interested in sexual life and pleasure has been "erased", there is no sense of satisfaction in intimacy. Painful ejaculations are another reason to reject intimacy.
The development of infertility with chronic inflammation in the prostate gland is associated with changes in the spermogram, which are inevitable, because the chemical composition of the prostate secretion changes. The sperm count decreases, pathological forms or dead sperm appear.
How to maintain men's health?
The health of a man is in the hands of a competent urologist! As soon as signs of prostatitis are found, it is necessary to consult a doctor. The treatment is long and complex. Depending on the etiology, it may include antibiotic therapy, anti-inflammatory and decongestant medications, peptide regulators, pain relievers, prostate massage, and physical therapy treatments.
Married men are believed to be less likely to develop prostatitis. Regular sex life with a partner does not provide the possibility for stagnant and inflammatory processes to develop in the gland. Therefore, marriage and loyalty to one's spouse, trivial as it may seem, is a preventive measure for prostatitis.