Prostatitis is one of the most common urological diseases, in which an inflammatory process develops that covers the tissues of the prostate gland. Prostatitis can occur in men of all ages and is often accompanied by other ailments of the reproductive system. The causes of prostatitis in men can be different, and to reduce the likelihood of developing this disease, they should be considered in more detail.
Classification
Regarding the development of the pathological process, there are three main forms of prostatitis:
- Sharpened.Symptoms appear suddenly and are more pronounced. 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 low 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.
- Chronic.If acute prostatitis is not treated in time, the disease turns into a chronic form. It is characterized by less pronounced symptoms, and the general condition of the patient can be called satisfactory. The temperature drops to normal limits.
- stalled.Non-infectious inflammatory process. It is caused by stagnant processes seen in the pelvic organs. The disease is characterized by a progressive 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 and postpone visiting a specialist. With this approach, the development of numerous complications of the disease is possible.
The disease has gotten "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 various ailments of the genitourinary system, this ailment cannot be called age-related. There are several causes of prostatitis in men, the main of which will be discussed below.
Acute and chronic infections
Infectious lesions are the leading cause of prostatitis. When the infection enters the prostate, an inflammatory process develops. Very often, diseases such as gonorrhea and urethritis become provocateurs of these forms of prostatitis.
Pathological processes such as cavities, tonsillitis, tuberculosis, etc. they can provoke the development of infectious prostatitis.
To cure this form of the disease, it is necessary to eliminate the infectious agent that became the main cause of its development. Only after the neutralization of the main causative agent of the infection can prostatitis be completely cured.
Congestion
Every man should have enough sex in his life; otherwise, he will not escape from prostate problems.
The consequence of the lack of a regular sex life can be the development of congestion in the prostate. At the same time, blood circulation in the organ is disturbed, due to which the secret stagnates, which disrupts its functioning. All this can lead to the deformation of the prostate and the development of an inflammatory process.
Regular sexual activity helps prevent stagnation of prostate secretions. Additionally, experts recommend that their patients refrain from promiscuous relationships by seeking a permanent sexual partner.
Sedentary work
In recent decades, there has been a sharp trend of transition from manual to mental work. And it is a sedentary lifestyle that is one of the main causes of prostatitis in men.
Furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle leads to impaired functions of the nervous, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. As a result, the cells of the prostate gland receive less oxygen, which leads to the creation of optimal conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora.
And although sedentary work is not the direct cause of prostatitis, it creates the optimal conditions for infection of the prostate gland. Therefore, for the prevention of prostatitis, the body must engage in regular physical activity.
When leading an active lifestyle, a person's blood flow is normalized, the endocrine and nervous systems work better. Therefore, the tissues of the prostate gland are protected from oxygen starvation.
Prolonged abstinence
In the absence of regular sexual activity, the secretion stagnates in the organ. In view of this, blood circulation in the tissues of the prostate becomes difficult. The result is the same as when leading a passive lifestyle.
Lack of oxygen leads to the fact that in the tissues of the prostate gland there are ideal conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora. As a result, only a weak infection of the body will be enough to ensure the guaranteed development of prostatitis.
Hypothermia
Frostbite is a sure form of pathology.
Scientists argue that hypothermia is one of the main triggers for the development of prostatitis. Hypothermic prostatitis develops for several reasons:
- Due to hypothermia, vasoconstriction occurs leading to a weakening of tissue nutrition and impaired organ function.
- With a significant freezing of the body, a person's immune system weakens. This leads to the fact that the body becomes susceptible to various types of infectious lesions.
Hypothermia becomes especially dangerous for those men who have developed prostatitis before. Even if the disease has been treated, it can come back.
To avoid the development of prostatitis, it is necessary to dress warmly during 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 strong load on the perineal area or significant tremors;
- hormonal disorders;
- ARVI transferred on the legs;
- Chronic constipation.
The best prevention of this disease is to avoid the above factors. Those men who have previously had prostatitis are especially susceptible to developing this disease.
Who is at risk
Anyone who has had prostate problems before can face the disease again.
Having considered the causes of prostatitis, it is necessary to determine the group of people predisposed to its occurrence. The following men are susceptible to prostatitis:
- leading a sedentary lifestyle;
- suffers from frequent constipation;
- obese;
- dedicated to sedentary work;
- subject to severe stress and hard physical work;
- have irregular sex or change sexual partners frequently;
- previously had prostatitis;
- suffers from immune disorders;
- alcohol and cigarette abusers.
Developmental characteristics in young and old
Prostatitis can develop in young people due to several factors. The main ones are: sedentary work, lack 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 the elderly, the disease most often develops against the background of the extinction of sexual function. As the body ages, the reproductive system undergoes changes, as a result of which sooner or later it stops working. A marked decrease in fertility is observed in men aged 45 to 50 years.
Furthermore, this can occur under the influence of hormonal changes in the body, whereby the volume of testosterone production decreases. And it is these changes that are one of the main causes of prostatitis.
Reasons for transition from acute to chronic stage of disease
Although acute prostatitis is characterized by vivid symptoms that require the patient to consult a specialist, the chronic form generally does not present characteristic symptoms. In most cases, men are not in a rush to see a doctor and experience mild 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 form of the disease that is not sufficiently treated. In this case, the transition from one form to another occurs under the influence of the following factors:
- Treatment started late.
- Ineffective therapy was administered or the wrong technique was chosen.
- The patient's immune response has decreased significantly.
- There was no treatment for acute prostatitis.
It should be understood that the chronic asymptomatic course of the inflammatory process sooner or later ends with an exacerbation. The patient then exhibits all the signs of the disease, including severe pain in the perineum and lower back, difficulty urinating, and depressed sexual function.
Chronic prostatitis has an important characteristic: when a primary inflammation of the prostate occurs, there is a deterioration in the innervation of this organ. This, in turn, has an extremely negative effect on your work, often triggering 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 prevent the progression of such prostatitis.
Symptoms
The main symptom of the development of prostatitis is pain. Indicates that an inflammatory process develops in the prostate. In this case, unpleasant sensations can be of a different nature and intensity. Urination causes severe pain.
This disease is especially uncomfortable as it is in the acute stage of its development. Against the background of severe pain, the patient has sleep disorders, his performance is significantly reduced, as is the quality of life in general.
Pain in prostatitis has the following character:
- located in the perineum, lower abdomen, lower back;
- radiate to the genital area;
- unpleasant sensations are intensified when going to the bathroom, during arousal and in the ejaculation process;
- 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 varying degrees of manifestation, their therapy has some differences.
It is not uncommon for men to have a slow erection with prostatitis. Most patients cannot complete sexual intercourse or ejaculation is premature. Such disorders adversely affect the composition of sperm.
Treatment methods
The specific type of therapy is determined by a specialist based on the characteristics of the course of the disease. In this case, the reasons why this disease develops 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.
A complex treatment for chronic prostatitis is provided. It includes the following procedures:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- taking immunomodulators;
- prostate massage.
If chronic prostatitis is non-bacterial in nature, then its treatment is carried out by taking non-steroidal drugs. Sedatives are used as an additional treatment.
Prevention of prostatitis comes down to an active lifestyle, regular sex with a regular partner, and prompt treatment of infectious diseases.