Chronic inflammation of the prostate gland occurs in men of any age.In most cases, the catalyst is an infectious factor: trichomonas, staphylococcus and gonococcus.Bacteria entering the body, the prostate gland itself provokes inflammation of the urethral canal.
The chronic form of prostatitis is often asymptomatic.The disease itself is determined only after it has passed into an acute form.The late diagnosis is explained by the fact that the first symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men are often ignored.
Statistics show constant "rejuvenation" of the disease.Increasingly, 30-year-old patients turn to urologists.
Chronic prostatitis - what is it?
The prostate gland is located under the bladder.The main functions of the Vesica Urinaria are reduced to the trickle of seminal fluid, as well as the production of prostatic secretions, an essential component of male sperm.Infection, blockage, and other factors gradually become permanent.
Chronic prostatitis causes degenerative changes.The structure of the tissues gradually deforms.Often, against the background of inflammation, stones appear in stones.Some types of prostatitis lead to the development of cancer.
An international classification system has been developed to facilitate the differentiation between various prostate diseases.
Chronic prostatitis - causes
It is generally accepted that inflammation of the prostate gland is caused by two main factors, which are bacterial and abacterial.
The first is associated with the introduction of pathogens and infections into the body of patients.The most common sexually transmitted bacteria.
The second cause of formation is not related to an infectious agent.A catalyst for inflammation can be:
- Hypothermia of the body.
- Hormonal imbalances associated with aging and an irregular sex life.
- Bad habits.
- Injury to the pelvic organs.
- Stagnation caused by metabolic disorders and a sedentary lifestyle.
After diagnosing prostatitis, the root cause of chronic prostatitis should be determined.The course of therapy is determined by what caused the inflammation.Bacterial and non-infectious prostatitis are treated differently.
Urologists named several additional factors that aggravate the condition and affect the severe course of the disease:
- Sexual exhaustion.
- Low ejaculation (choose abstinence as a method of contraception).
- Stress.
- Bad habits - alcohol abuse and smoking.
- Poor nutrition.
- He suffered from inflammatory diseases in the past.Urethritis and cystitis are often the cause of chronic prostatitis.
Inflammation is accompanied by destructive changes in the prostate gland, which allows us to classify the disease into several categories.
Classification of chronic inflammation of the prostate
Types of prostatitis received their own ICD-10 code - N41.A separate classification B95-B97 is used to clarify the diagnosis and differentiate the infection of the catalyst.The symptom rating scale divides the disease into several groups and subgroups:
- I - acute inflammation accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature and fever.
- II - Chronic prostatitis caused by an infectious factor.
- Class III includes a disease in which pelvic pain syndrome begins to manifest itself.It is customary to distinguish two subgroups:
- IIIA - There are signs of an inflammatory process.Low-grade fire is protected.
- IIB - no inflammation.
- IV - prostatitis without symptomatic manifestations.Deviations from the norm were detected only by instrumental diagnostic methods.
By ICD code:
- N41.1 chronic prostatitis is diagnosed.
- N41.8 Inflammatory diseases of the prostate gland.
- N41.9 has not been definitively diagnosed.
How chronic prostatitis manifests itself - symptoms
In men, the first symptoms of chronic prostatitis appear in an advanced stage of the disease.Often, there are no clinical manifestations of early development.Symptoms, if present, are temporary, short-lived, and of low intensity.
According to clinical manifestations, three stages of the development of prostatitis are distinguished:
- Initial indirect signs of chronic prostatitis - as already mentioned, the onset of the disease is not expressed by clearly distinguishable symptoms.Manifestations are subtle or completely absent.You should pay attention: burning sensation during ejaculation, potential, painful urination decreased.
- Secondary signs of chronic inflammation of the prostate - at this stage, pathological changes in the structure of tissues, the appearance of ulcer-like formations and a decrease in genitourinary function.The stage is characterized by a sharp deterioration in potency and urine, increased sweating in the pelvic region, lumbar spine and scrotum, severe pain.
- Symptoms of an advanced disease - the prostate stops functioning normally.Healthy tissues begin metamorphosis.Increases the size of the gland.Blood and pus appear in the urine, there is a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder, and night trips to the toilet are more frequent.Erectile function decreases so much that we can talk about complete sexual weakness.
In addition to the characteristic symptoms of each stage of development, there are general symptoms that appear throughout the course of the disease.
Pain syndrome
He explained the symptoms of chronic prostatitis in the development stage.Characteristic clinical manifestations are pain of severe intensity that does not go away on its own and requires the use of analgesics and antispasmodics.
Pain syndrome accompanies the entire development period of the disease.During the main symptoms of prostatitis, discomfort and burning in the urethral canal are of low intensity and therefore often ignored.The pain is often related to radiculitis or fatigue.After pain relief or taking an antispasmodic, the symptom usually goes away.
Over time, the clinical picture becomes more intense.The pain syndrome manifests itself more intensively and remains after taking analgesics.Unpleasant sensations accompany each act of urination, defecation and ejaculation.
The pain radiates from the spine to the scrotum, sometimes to the limbs, and is accompanied by cramps and numbness.Itching and burning tissue in the prostate and genital areas is a normal reaction of the body to internal inflammation.
Increase in temperature
In the acute form, chronic inflammation of the prostate gland is accompanied by heat and fever.There is a sharp increase in temperature, reaching 39-40 °.Indicators are stable.Body temperature does not decrease after taking antipyretics.
Slow prostatitis is characterized by a low-grade fever.Continuous indicators of chronic inflammation, at 37-37.2 °.
It is strictly forbidden to lower the temperature and take medication to reduce external manifestations!
Dysuria
The first signs of chronic prostatitis appear in various urinary disorders.Over time, the symptoms become more intense, which helps to identify the disease.Manifestations of dysuria:
- He often urges to go to the toilet at night.
- A feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder.
- Hematuria (blood in the urine), discharge of feces.
- Pain during urination.
The intensity of clinical signs and manifestations directly affects the diagnosis and requires mandatory additional research.Symptoms can indicate other inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system, hyperplasia and oncology.
Disorders of the genital organs
Chronic prostatitis causes the appearance of ulcers that disrupt the blood supply.Lack of nutrition causes the following manifestations:
- Decreased potential - with chronic prostatitis, sexual disorders are observed.One of the characteristic symptoms is a normal erection, which is sharply reduced during intercourse.In the advanced stage, a stable potency occurs.
- Infertility - After the scar appears in the seminal ducts, the viability of the sperm decreases.Inflammation changes the structure and composition of discharge.In the advanced stage, the sperm thickens and bumps appear.
- Pain during sexual intercourse - discharge from the urethral canal is observed.Discomfort and painful symptoms are felt during intercourse, especially during ejaculation.Often, psychosomatic reasons cause the patient's constant insouciance.
The main symptoms of chronic prostatitis: pain, body temperature, Dysuria, dysfunction of genital organs.When making a diagnosis, the intensity and duration of the period from the onset of clinical signs, as well as the onset of associated symptoms, are taken into account.
How can chronic inflammation of the prostate be detected?
In prostatitis, there are no symptoms that can accurately distinguish the disease.Some disorders of the genitourinary system have similar symptoms.An accurate diagnosis can be made only after a complete examination of the patient, including laboratory tests and methods of instrumental detection of the disease.
The urologist will prescribe a mandatory rectal examination if there is a suspicion of disorders in the functioning of the pelvic organs.If tissue changes are detected during palpation, several laboratory tests are prescribed.
Laboratory research methods
Clinical blood and urine tests distinguish the presence of an inflammatory process and can often explain the catalyst for the development of the disease.When making a diagnosis, additional information from the results of the following laboratory tests will be required:
- Urine cytological and bacteriological analysis.The PSA level is established.Protein levels increase dramatically with inflammation of glandular tissue.
- A mess from the urethra.
- Microscopy of prostate secretions - Based on the results, malfunctions in the prostate gland are determined.Differentiate cancer from foreign tissue inflammation.Prostate secretions are accompanied by high body temperature, exacerbation of hemorrhoids or swelling in the anus during the acute period of the disease.
- Tests for STIs (sexually transmitted infections) - one of the common catalysts for inflammation of the prostate gland are pathogenic microorganisms.Trichomonas, Staphylococci and Gonococci can cause the disease.Prostatitis develops in the active stage of bacterial proliferation and develops in cases where the infection has already been treated.
Laboratory tests are a mandatory part of the diagnosis of prostatitis and the subsequent choice of treatment method.
Instrumental detection of the disease
There are three main methods of testing for prostatitis.Each instrumental diagnostic method provides information about changes in the structure of the gland tissue and has its own indications and contraindications:
- Tomography - MRI is often prescribed for the diagnosis of chronic prostatitis.The study allows you to get a layer-by-layer image of the prostate.MRI features accurately show chronic inflammation and also indicate the beginning of tissue degeneration leading to a malignant formation.Magnetic resonance technology is completely harmless, but has contraindications due to the inability to study patients with pacemakers, metal staples and shunts (left during surgical operations).
- Transrectal TRUS is an informative method that reliably shows the presence of inflammation.Sonographic signs of structural changes in the prostate gland according to the type of chronic prostatitis: include deviations from the norm in volume and size, structure and the presence of pathological forms.Ultrasound methods are designed for acute inflammation of the rectum, cracks in the anus or hemorrhoids.
- Ultrasound - Transabdominal technique has no contraindications.The method is less informative than Trus and MRI.Sonographic signs make it difficult to determine the abdominal cavity.Diagnostic results are often controversial and require clarification.The advantage of ultrasound is the simplicity and speed of work.
The accuracy of the echographic picture depends mainly on the experience of the doctor performing the work.
Differential search for disease
After receiving the results of clinical and biochemical studies, the symptoms of chronic inflammation of the prostate gland are evaluated.Common diagnostic standards are valid all over the world.
To facilitate the urologist's task, the NIH-CPSI symptom index was developed in the form of a questionnaire or questionnaire.The doctor fills in the fields in the document and then makes a diagnosis.
There are computer programs based on the NIH-CPSI index.The doctor is required to fill out a questionnaire, and the system will independently conduct a summary assessment of symptoms for chronic prostatitis.The effectiveness of the technique has been proven all over the world.
After calculating the results of the questionnaire, when a diagnosis is made, additional evaluation of instrumental and clinical studies is taken into account: echo symptoms of chronic prostatitis, increased psa level, identification of an infectious marker by a secretion microscope.The more information the urologist has, the more accurate the result will be.
What is dangerous about chronic prostatitis - its consequences
The consequences of chronic prostatitis in men are disturbances in the functioning of the genitourinary system.These include:
- Impossibility.
- Urinary incontinence.
- Infinity.
Fibrous changes accompanying advanced disease lead to the development of oncology.Normal tissues degenerate into malignant ones.Therefore, to prevent the development of cancer, preventing functional changes in the prostate gland is an extremely important task faced by the urologist.
When making a diagnosis, the presence of a hardbinger, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, of oncological and fibrous changes is taken into account.Advanced disease often leads to the need for surgery: prostatectomy.
Diagnosis of prostatitis and differentiation of the disease from related disorders of the pelvic organs is an important task for doctors and patients.The detection of the first symptoms depends entirely on the person himself.If you experience any discomfort as your urine decreases or a persistent low-grade fever decreases, these are reasons to seek professional medical attention immediately.Delay is dangerous!