Prostatitis (Urinary tract infection in men)
What is prostatitis?
Prostatitis in all its forms it is a common cause of patients to visit a urologist.
Acute prostatitis is a bacterial inflammation of the prostate. It is manifested by high fever with chills and severe urinary symptoms such as frequent urination, burning in urination, difficulty urinating, and could lead to urinary retention
Acute prostatitis is an urgent condition that requires intravenous antibiotic treatment and hospitalization.
The term "prostatitis" is used for either acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis, which is caused by an infectious agent (germ) found in urine.
The term "Chronic Prostatitis" or "Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome" or the more modern term "Chronic Prostate Pain Syndrome" is used when a germ cannot be isolated in urine and the causes of the syndrome are unknown.
Research highlights the involvement of the male nervous system as well as the psychological-emotional factor. Chronic Prostatitis does not show fever and does not have its severe discomfort. Symptoms could last for more than six months usually include frequent urination, nocturia, difficulty urinating, pain in the scrotum or testicles and near the anus.
Urologist might perform few tests to diagnose the disease as urine culture, urethral cultures, semen culture and digital examination of the prostate.
Prostatitis often resembles benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is why special tests such as flow test and urinary ultrasound are needed.
Prostatitis could raise the value of the specific prostate antigen (PSA). Specific prostate antigen (PSA) can be found to be elevated in both symptomatic and asymptomatic chronic prostatitis. In patients with elevated PSA and prostatitis, should be treated with antibiotics and repeat the PSA in 3 months.
Prostatitis management:
Antibiotics which are recommended for chronic bacterial prostatitis can also be prescribed for chronic prostatic pain syndrome with inflammatory elements.
In chronic prostatitis, fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin are considered the first choice. These drugs are considered selective drugs because they have very good pharmacokinetic properties Levofloxacin is also effective against atypical microbes such as chlamydia and mycoplasma.
The duration of antibiotic treatment is based on clinical experience and the opinion of experts in the field. A total treatment duration of 4-6 weeks is recommended.
We give antibiotics because there can be a bacterial infection without it appearing in the cultures. There are also many clinical studies that prove the benefits of antibiotics.
Chronic prostatitis is often difficult to treat. It is recommended to take antibiotics for long periods of time in combination with α-blockers and anti-inflammatory medications.
The disease afflicts patients for long periods of time, and often presents with automatic relapses and exacerbations.