According to statistics, every third man of working age suffers from prostatitis at different times. Persistent pain, impotence, infertility - this is not a complete list of problems that threaten patients in the absence of treatment. Because of the high urgency and danger of the disease, its initial symptoms and manifestations should be known to every man. In this article, you will learn about all the signs and diagnostic methods that allow you to recognize prostatitis.
Clinical picture in the early stages of development
Prostatitis is an inflammatory lesion of the male prostate gland. The following forms of the disease are distinguished: acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, asymptomatic prostatitis. Each form manifests itself in a different way, having special marks and features of course.
It is difficult to say how the disease will progress in any particular man. The presence of certain symptoms depends on a number of external and internal factors. For the convenience of characterizing the pathology, it is customary to divide all the symptoms of prostatitis into 3 large groups: those associated with urinary disorders, sexual dysfunction, mental problems. The first and most noticeable symptoms of prostatitis (except the asymptomatic form) may be the following signs in a man:
- Pain in the pelvis, back, groin.
- Pain and burning sensation during urination.
- Difficulty urinating.
- Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder and desire to urinate.
Pain in the pelvis, back, groin, a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder and the urge to urinate are signs of prostatitis.
The listed symptoms occur due to disorders of urinary function, which are caused by the anatomical features of the structure and location of the bladder and prostate gland. The signs of prostatitis associated with sexual dysfunction are also noticeable and noticeable. Men most often make the following complaints:
- Weak erection.
- Rapid onset of ejaculation during intercourse.
- Lack of orgasm or decreased sensitivity.
- Pain in the urethra and rectum during ejaculation.
Problems with urination and difficulties in intimate life due to inflammation of the prostate gland greatly bother the man. Patients with prostatitis are forced to change their lifestyle, deny the habit, family relationships become more complicated. Obsession with your problem provokes an increase in restlessness, restlessness, decreased libido, which can be referred to as an indirect sign of prostatitis, included in the third group of the above symptoms (mental disorders).
Prostatitis in men is often confused with prostate adenoma or cancer, a pathology of the bladder. All of these diseases look similar, especially in the early stages. It is very difficult to differentiate it for unprepared people, therefore a differential diagnosis is made by analyzing all available objective symptoms, laboratory and instrumental research data. Since each form of prostatitis has specific signs and characteristics, it is desirable to consider them separately.
Characteristics of certain forms of the disease
Acute prostatitis is an inflammation of the male prostate gland caused by the penetration of infectious agents into organs through the blood, lymph or urethra. The disease begins abruptly and is characterized by the severity of all clinical signs. The main symptoms of acute prostatitis:
- The body temperature rises to 39-40 degrees.
- General symptoms of intoxication (headache, weakness, fatigue, decreased performance, etc. ).
- Severe pain in the perineum, sacrum, above the male genital joint.
- Frequent and painful urination.
- Sometimes men experience urinary retention.
A temperature of 39-40 is a clear sign of inflammation of the prostate gland.
Acute inflammation of the prostate gland ends, as a rule, with recovery or chronicity of the process (symptoms may persist for several months). But more often this form of prostatitis is primary and is the result of bad habits (alcohol abuse, smoking, etc. ), inactive lifestyle, lack of vitamins and minerals, prolonged sexual abstinence, or arises from -aggressive sexually transmitted diseasesor uptake of normal agent microflora. The clinical picture of chronic prostatitis appears to be less related to the acute form, the symptoms of the disease are inconsistent, which greatly complicates the diagnosis. For chronic forms of prostatitis, the following symptoms are the most common:
- Increased desire to urinate, including at night.
- Pain when urinating, and also during ejaculation.
- Dull pain in the lower back, pelvis, above the base of the chest, etc.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) in a man combines recurrent pain in the prostate area, temporary disturbances of the urinary and reproductive systems. CPPS in medicine is a broader concept, because pathogenetically, the pathology may be based on tumor or ischemic processes, disorders of the nervous system, and not just inflammation. The inconsistency of the presence of signs of prostatitis in chronic pelvic pain syndrome complicates the diagnosis, but is more difficult to perform in the asymptomatic form. In these cases, a key and determining role is played by the data of laboratory and instrumental research methods.
Diagnostic techniques
Based on the symptoms of prostatitis alone, a definite diagnosis cannot be made. In addition, the doctor must collect anamnesis: information about the time of onset of symptoms, their relation to major and important events in life, physical and mental shocks, all possible predisposing factors are clarified, and so on. Physiological examinations are often performed - digital rectal examinations at the elbow position of a sick man’s knee, lying next to him with his legs bent or standing with his body bent forward. During this study, you can find characteristic signs of prostatitis (the presence of all is not required):
- Enlargement of the male sex glands in size.
- Organ shape correct or flat with depression.
- The consistency of dressing or dough.
- Smoothness of the boundaries of the prostate gland.
- Increased pain with stress.
Further examination of patients with symptoms of prostatitis is complemented by laboratory methods. General and biochemical blood tests are prescribed - no specific changes in indicators, only indirect signs that make it possible to assess the presence of inflammatory processes in the male body (increased number of leukocytes, acute phase proteins, accelerated ESR). The results of urine tests will be very valuable, which makes it possible to assess the presence of infectious processes in the genital tract, will help determine the pathogen to begin treatment of etiology. In addition, a urologist can prescribe analysis of prostate secretions, spermograms.
Among the instrumental methods for diagnosing prostate disease, the most informative is TRUS - transrectal ultrasound. In this case, a special sensor is used, which the doctor inserts into the rectum. This causes discomfort to the sick person, but is compensated by the information content of this method. With the help of TRUS it is possible to assess the structure of organs, to assess the presence of tissue inflammation, the degree of narrowing of the urinary tract, and to exclude the presence of calculi. The main echo signs of prostatitis: enlargement of organ size, edema, fibrosis, sclerotic tissue changes, rough and heterogeneous structure.
In addition, patients with symptoms of prostatitis undergo uroflowmetry - a special diagnostic manipulation in which a man’s urination rate is measured. Based on the data of this study, conclusions can be drawn about the degree of urethral narrowing, detrusor activity. Uroflowmetry cannot replace TRUS, unless it confirms the findings and signs of existing prostatitis.
Plans for diagnostic screening for prostatitis can be expanded if shown in a man. To clarify individual points of diagnosis, cystoscopy, CT scan of the pelvis can be performed. In unclear cases, biopsies are performed for differentiation with tumor processes.
What to do when the first symptoms appear
The biggest and most common mistake many men make when they have the signs and symptoms of prostatitis is waiting. Every patient hopes that the unpleasant symptoms are temporary and will soon disappear. Untreated prostatitis is dangerous to health, causing irreversible changes in the body, which are fraught with disrupted erection mechanisms, infertility, or even worse - the malignancy of the process (transition to cancer).
To avoid serious complications, every man at the first sign of prostatitis should see a urologist who will prescribe treatment. First of all, men are given etiotropic therapy-anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics are used, measures are taken to strengthen the immune system. No surgery is needed if there are no complications. Men who have had prostatitis in the past are at risk, and there is a high probability of recurrence, therefore, after recovery, a large role is given to prevention.