Prostatitis is one of the most common urological diseases, in which an inflammatory process develops, covering the tissues of the prostate. Prostatitis can occur in men of all ages and is often accompanied by other conditions of the reproductive system. The causes of prostatitis in men can be different, and in order to reduce the risk of developing this disease, they should be considered in more detail.
Classification
As for the development of the pathological process, there are three main forms of prostatitis:
- Sharp.Symptoms appear suddenly and appear as bright as possible. Therefore, most men with an acute course of prostatitis go to the doctor in the first days of the open course of the process. A typical symptom of the disease is severe lower back pain, which occurs against the background of an increase in body temperature to 39 degrees. Most often, the cause of prostatitis is an infectious focus, which can develop in distant organs.
- Chronicle.If acute prostatitis is not treated in time, the disease turns into a chronic form. It is characterized by less severe symptoms, and the general condition of the patient can be called satisfactory. The temperature drops to normal limits.
- Stagnant.Non-infectious inflammatory process. It is caused by stagnant processes seen in the pelvic organs. The disease is characterized by gradual development with a gradual increase in pathological symptoms. Today, this form of the disease is extremely rare.
The chronic form of the disease is considered very dangerous, as most men ignore mild symptoms, postponing a visit to a specialist. With this approach, the development of many complications of the disease is possible.
The disease has "got younger" over time, so it can occur at any age.
What causes prostatitis?
This disease develops in a third of men between the ages of 20 and 60. Therefore, unlike a number of diseases of the genitourinary system, this disease can not be called age-related. There are a number of causes of prostatitis in men, the main ones of which will be discussed below.
Acute and chronic infections
Infectious lesions are the primary cause of prostatitis. When the infection enters the prostate, an inflammatory process develops. Most often, such diseases as gonorrhea and urethritis become provocateurs of these forms of prostatitis.
Pathological processes such as caries, tonsillitis, tuberculosis, etc. can cause the development of infectious prostatitis.
In order to cure this form of the disease, it is necessary to eliminate the infectious agent which has become the main cause of its development. Only after neutralizing the main causative agent of infection can prostatitis be completely cured.
Congestion
Every man should have enough sex in his life - otherwise he won't run away from his prostate problems.
Lack of regular sex life can lead to the development of prostate congestion. At the same time, blood circulation in the organ is disturbed, which leads to stagnation of the secret, which disrupts its functioning. All this can lead to deformation of the prostate and the development of the inflammatory process.
Regular sexual activity allows you to avoid stagnation of prostatic secretions. Moreover, experts recommend that their patients refrain from promiscuous relationships by finding a permanent sexual partner.
Sedentary work
In recent decades, there has been an acute tendency to transition from manual work to mental work. And it is a sedentary lifestyle that is one of the main causes of prostatitis in men.
In addition, a sedentary lifestyle leads to deterioration of the functions of the nervous, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. As a result, the cells of the prostate receive less oxygen, which leads to the creation of optimal conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora.
And if sedentary work is not the direct cause of prostatitis, it creates optimal conditions for prostate infection. Therefore, for the prevention of prostatitis, the body should engage in regular physical activity.
By leading an active lifestyle, a person's blood flow normalizes, the endocrine and nervous systems work better. Therefore, the prostate tissue is protected from oxygen deprivation.
Prolonged abstinence
In the absence of regular sexual activity, the secretion stagnates in the organ. In view of this, blood circulation in the prostate tissue becomes difficult. The result is the same as leading a passive life.
Oxygen starvation leads to the fact that in the tissues of the prostate there are ideal conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora. Accordingly, only a weak infection of the body will be enough to ensure the guaranteed development of prostatitis.
Hypothermia
Freezing is a sure way to appear pathology.
Scientists claim that hypothermia is one of the main causes of the development of prostatitis. Prostatitis due to hypothermia develops for several reasons:
- Due to hypothermia, vasoconstriction occurs, which leads to weakened nutrition of tissues and deterioration of organ function.
- With severe freezing of the body, a person's immune system is weakened. This leads to the fact that the body becomes susceptible to various types of infectious lesions.
Hypothermia becomes especially dangerous for men who have already developed prostatitis earlier. Even if the disease has been treated, it may come back.
In order to avoid the development of prostatitis, it is necessary to dress warmly in the cold season, to avoid sitting on cold and cold surfaces. It is also forbidden to walk barefoot on insufficiently warm ground.
Other reasons
The development of prostatitis can occur not only for the above reasons, but also under the influence of such factors:
- obesity;
- poor working conditions, in which there is a heavy load on the perineal region or severe shaking;
- hormonal disorders;
- ARVI transferred to the legs;
- Chronic constipation.
The best prevention of this disease is to avoid the above factors. Men who have previously had prostatitis are particularly susceptible to the development of this disease.
Who is at risk
Anyone who has ever had prostate problems can face the disease again.
Having considered the causes of prostatitis, you need to determine the group of people who are predisposed to its occurrence. The following men are susceptible to prostatitis:
- leading a sedentary lifestyle;
- suffering from frequent constipation;
- obese;
- engaged in sedentary work;
- subjected to severe stress and heavy physical labor;
- having irregular sex or changing sex partners frequently;
- had previously had prostatitis;
- suffering from immune disorders;
- alcohol and cigarette abusers.
Features of development in young and old
Prostatitis can develop in young people for a number of factors. The main ones are: sedentary work, the absence of a full-fledged intimate life, a sedentary lifestyle. To minimize the development of this disease, you need to exclude these factors from your life.
In older people, the disease most often develops against the background of the extinction of sexual function. As the body ages, the reproductive system goes through changes that sooner or later stop functioning. A notable decline in fertility is observed in men aged 45 to 50.
In addition, it can occur under the influence of hormonal changes in the body, due to which the volume of testosterone production decreases. And it is these changes that are one of the main causes of prostatitis.
Reasons for the transition from the acute stage of the disease to the chronic stage
While acute prostatitis is characterized by sharp symptoms, requiring the patient to consult a specialist, the chronic form usually has no characteristic symptoms. In most cases, men are in no hurry to see a doctor, noticing slight discomfort. And as a result of this the disease develops into more serious forms.
But how does the disease become chronic? Most often, the cause of the development of a chronic process is an acute, insufficiently treated form of the disease. In this case, the transition from one form to another occurs under the influence of the following factors:
- Processing was started late.
- Ineffective treatment was given or the wrong technique was chosen.
- The patient's immune response significantly diminished.
- There was no treatment for acute prostatitis.
It should be understood that the asymptomatic chronic course of the inflammatory process sooner or later ends with exacerbation. Then the patient has all the signs of the disease, including severe pain in the perineum and lower back, difficulty urinating, and depression in sexual function.
Chronic prostatitis has one important feature: when primary inflammation of the prostate occurs, there is a deterioration of the innervation of this organ. This, in turn, has an extremely negative effect on his work, often provoking autoimmune processes. In this case, the immune system begins to produce antibodies against the prostate tissue. Therefore, even if the primary infection is eliminated, it will not be possible to avoid the progression of such prostatitis.
Symptoms
The main symptom of the development of prostatitis is pain. This indicates that an inflammatory process is developing in the prostate. In this case, the unpleasant sensations can be of different nature and intensity. Urination causes severe pain.
This disease is particularly uncomfortable, being in the acute stage of its development. Against a background of severe pain, the patient has trouble sleeping, his performance is significantly reduced, as is the overall quality of life.
Pain in prostatitis has the following character:
- localized in the perineum, lower abdomen, lower back;
- radiate to the genital area;
- unpleasant sensations intensify when visiting the toilet, during arousal and during ejaculation;
- are accompanied by sexual dysfunction.
Erection problems are a common symptom of a chronic form of the disease. Due to the fact that such dysfunctions can have different degrees of manifestation, their therapy has some differences.
It is not uncommon for men to have a slow erection with prostatitis. Most patients are unable to complete intercourse at all or the ejaculation is premature. Such disorders negatively affect the composition of semen.
Processing methods
The specific type of therapy is determined by a specialist depending on the features of the course of the disease. In this case, the reasons for the development of this disease should be taken into account. So, the main method of treating the acute form of the disease is antibiotic therapy. These drugs are taken even if the disease is not bacterial in nature.
Complex treatment is provided for chronic prostatitis. It includes the following procedures:
- drug treatment
- ; physiotherapy
- ;
- taking immunomodulators; Prostate massage
- .
If chronic prostatitis is non-bacterial in nature, its treatment is carried out by taking non-steroidal drugs. Sedatives are used as an additional treatment.
Prevention of prostatitis is reduced to an active lifestyle, regular sex with a regular partner, and timely treatment of infectious diseases.