Prostatitis can affect potency or cause infertility. The success of treatment largely depends on how quickly treatment is started, so a man must pay attention to the first signs independently. Reviews how prostatitis presents in acute and chronic forms, and provides information on clinical manifestations and symptoms.
Signs of acute and chronic prostatitis
Acute prostatitis most commonly occurs in sexually active men of reproductive age. The first signs of the disease in this case appear suddenly, develop rapidly, and cannot go unnoticed.
With acute prostatitis, a man will feel:
- sharp pain, often in the perineum;
- temperature rises to 39 ° C;
- pain when urinating.
With a disease, the focus of the inflammatory process in the prostate gland is very large, as a result, neighboring organs can participate in the pathological process. For example, prostatitis can affect the rectum, leading to painful bowel movements.
Chronic prostatitis is usually diagnosed in men of retirement age. The disease can progress without any particular symptoms. Sometimes patients complain to their doctor about burning or itching when urinating, and notice mucus or pus from the glans of the penis. Pain in chronic prostatitis is absent or insignificant, and the temperature rises to 37 degrees.
Initial symptoms
Doctors identify a number of manifestations that are considered harbingers of the disease. They are a signal for a man to see a doctor in the near future. The six symptoms listed below indicate a problem in the genitourinary system and are therefore combined into one group - dyspepsia syndrome:
- Urine was excreted in drops, the man made an effort to do this.
- The jet is slow, the range is no more than 20 cm.
- Urine splatters, separations, or unintentional flow interruptions.
- Frequent urge to go to the bathroom at night.
- Pain when urinating.
- Feeling of empty bladder.
If there is only one symptom - prostatitis, most likely, we are not talking. However, if a man can notice two or three signs in himself, this is reason to consult a doctor. Most likely, an inflammatory process has begun in the prostate gland.
Your doctor will make a more accurate diagnosis after a rectal exam, TRUS, and testing methods, which together make up a comprehensive examination. Based on the results of these measures, the method of treatment is also selected, so self-medication is strictly prohibited.
Urinary problems can be a sign of prostate cancer, when the treatments are fundamentally different.
Certain symptoms are not always signs of prostatitis; they can indicate any other inflammatory process in the genitourinary system. When they do appear, however, there is reason to be wary. Consider how a man would feel if he had prostatitis.
Violation of urination
In patients with acute prostatitis, the process of urination is disturbed. Normally, a man can feel up to 15 times the urge to relieve a small need each day, this is due to the alcohol regimen. Average stats - 4-5 times. However, with prostatitis, the picture changes. A man may feel twice as hungry as usual, but the amount of urine won't increase. This means that the kidneys are working smoothly, but the walls of the bladder are compressed by the prostate gland.
Prostate urethral stricture causes difficulty urinating. This is a medical condition in which a man feels severe pain while urinating. It is also possible to develop hematuria (inability to defecate).
Increased temperature
The first sign of acute prostatitis will be a temperature that rises to the point of fever (38-39 degrees). This symptom is particularly characteristic of purulent prostatitis and is indicative of septic shock. As the infection progresses, the body temperature can drop to 35-36°C.
In some cases, this condition can be life-threatening. It is especially dangerous for men with disseminated intravascular (intravascular) coagulopathy.
Presence of blood in the urine
This symptom is more often detected in a laboratory study of urine, less often with the naked eye of a man. This is a dangerous manifestation of prostatitis, which is very difficult to cure. Causes of hematuria (scientific name of the feature) can be:
- location of blood vessels in the area of purulent inflammatory process;
- the development of prostate cancer or adenoma;
- urethral or prostate injury on examination.
Also, such a manifestation can occur with prostatitis, when stones and sand damage the tissue of the gland. Fortunately for men, hematuria accompanying prostatitis is rare.
Groin pain syndrome
Acute prostatitis, as well as complications in a chronic form, can be accompanied by pain of a different nature, ranging from moderate to severe. This isn't the first sign of prostatitis, but it shouldn't be ignored either. The following types of discomfort are distinguished:
- shooting, throbbing pain;
- pain or irritation;
- itching and burning (more common with chlamydial prostatitis).
In some cases, men may also feel a burning pain in the anus. It increases with bowel movements, in a sitting position, and disappears if the man rests.
Laboratory signs of disease
It can be said that a man begins to develop prostatitis only after laboratory tests of blood and urine, as well as according to the results of ultrasound, CT, MRI and palpation. There are several known signs of inflammation in an organ:
- the presence of white blood cells in the blood and urine;
- identification of pathogenic microflora in urine and prostate secretions;
- an increase in the number of leukocytes against the background of a decrease in the number of lecithin granules in the juice of the prostate gland;
- soreness in the prostate area during rectal examination;
- an increase in the size of the gland on the TRUS image, the presence of areas of increased echogenicity.
In addition, the presence of inflammation in the body can be assessed by other parameters - an increase in ESR in blood tests, a change in white blood cells, the presence of immobilized sperm in the body. ejaculate.
Many different types of bacteria can be found in urine - Trichomonas, chlamydia, E. coli, etc. v.
From instrumental methods, in addition to TRUS, it is possible to participate in X-ray examination with contrast. In prostate scans at different views, signs of inflammation are clearly seen - areas of tissue disorder.
Conclusion
From a practical point of view, the first signs of the following prostatitis are very important for a man - a violation when urinating and pain in the perineum. If the temperature rises at the same time, we can speak of acute bacterial prostatitis.
In any case, you need to make an appointment with the doctor, undergo an examination and only then start treatment. Do not arbitrarily choose treatment, focus only on unpleasant manifestations.