Treatment of Prostatitis

Millions of men each year between the ages of 45 and 65 will develop problems with their prostate gland. While some will unfortunately develop prostate cancer, most prostate problems are non-cancerous and easily curable. The two most common benign prostate problems men face are benign prostatic hyperplasia, more commonly known as enlarged prostate or the more painful Prostatitis or prostate infection.

Enlarged prostate is generally accompanied by urine flow difficulty, frequent urination or dribbling of urine. BPH is generally not painful and can be treated with a prostate supplement. Prostate infection on the other hand, includes inflammation of prostate gland tissue, blocked prostate ducts, painful build up of prostatic fluid in the prostate gland, bladder problems and painful ejaculation which forces many men to give up sexual intercourse.

What is Prostatitis?

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland tissue, which is characterized by blocked prostate gland ducts, painful build up of prostatic fluid in the prostate gland, bladder infection and painful ejaculation which forces many men to give up sexual intercourse.

There are four types of Prostatitis:

Acute bacterial prostatitis
Chronic bacterial prostatitis
Chronic prostatitis without infection
Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis

Acute Bacterial Prostatitis

This form of prostate inflammation is the result of a bladder infection or other bacterial infection that spreads to the prostate gland, causing inflammation and swelling of the prostatic tissue, resulting in frequent need to urinate, painful urination, fever, chills or pain in the groin, testicles, tip of the penis or rectum.

If you believe you have bacterial prostatic prostatitis, especially if you have or have recently had a bladder infection, you should visit your doctor immediately for exam.

The most common forms of bacteria that cause ABP are: Escherichia coli (E. Coli), Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Serratia, and Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria are frequently found in the digestive system. Normally these bacteria are relatively harmless to humans as stomach acid destroys much of the bacteria, but when bacteria, particularly E. Coli or Staphylococus escapes the digestive system through the blood system, it can take up residence in any tissue or organ of the body, including the prostate gland.

Acute Bacterial Prostatitis is easily detected by blood, semen or urine test. A Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test would indicate an increased PSA level, indicating an abnormality in the prostate gland. A digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by a urologist will usually detect a prostate gland that is swollen and tender to the touch, due to bacterial infection and blocked ducts that prevent blood from flushing the toxins from the body.

The general cure bacterial prostate infection is through a course of antibiotics or medication. A follow-up PSA test should indicate the PSA levels have returned to normal, indicating the bacterial infection has been removed.

Please Note, men with bacterial prostatitis should never use prostate massage as a course of treatment, due to the risk of spreading bacteria to other parts of the body, called a sepsis or MRSA.

Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis

Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis, is similar Acute Bacterial Prostatitis, in that it exhibits many of the same symptoms, but they develop more slowly and the prostatitis symptoms are generally less severe than in ABP. Chronic Bacterial Prostate Infection is a rare condition affecting only 5% or less of patients who develop one of the four forms of prostatitis.

Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis is a chronic form of the bacterial prostatic inflammation, in which the condition occurs for a long period of time or occurs frequently usually due to a patient who suffers from chronic or frequent bladder infections.

Symptoms of Chronic Bacterial Prostatitismay include:

Blood in the urine
Decreased urinary stream
Frequent urination
Incontinence
Low-grade fever
Pain or burning during urination
Low back pain
Pain in the groin or testicles
Painful bowel movement
Pain in rectum or anus
Painful ejaculation
Testicular pain or pain in the top of the penis

Please Note: As with its acute relative, men with Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis should not use prostate massage as a course of treatment for prostate infection due to the potential spread of toxic bacterial to other parts of the body, but instead use antibiotics.

Chronic Prostatitis without Infection

Chronic Prostatitis without Infection, also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome or non-bacterial prostatitis, is one of the most common forms of prostate infection sending nearly 3 million men a year to the doctor, is not due bacteria, but rather may be result of a virus or chlamydia. This is just speculation in the medical community as no formal connection has been made. Non-bacterial prostatitis that continues for more than a month without being cured or reappears several times is considered to be chronic non-bacterial prostatitis.

The symptoms Prostatitis with Infection are similar to Bacterial Prostatic Infection, but there is no presence of bacteria during culture of the blood, semen or urine, but an elevated white blood cell count is generally present, which indicates the prostatitis is due to a viral infection.

Unlike Bacterial Prostatitis, which requires antibiotics as a course of treatment, the pain, swelling and discomfort of non-bacterial prostatitis can be treated with a natural prostate treatment, such as prostate massage, since there is no risk of spreading bacterial infection to other parts of the body.

Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis

The white horse of prostate infections is Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis, since form of prostate disease is as the name suggests, it has no visible symptoms as with other forms of prostatitis. The only visible sign that a man has Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis, is the presence of elevated white blood cell count, indicating the presence of a viral infection. Since there are no symptoms, there is no treatment necessary.

This symptomless prostate infection is still taken seriously, as the elevated white blood cell count may indicate pre-prostate cancer, but there is no prescribed treatment for Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis since there are no visible symptoms as found in Bacterial Prostatis, non-bacterial prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

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