Prostatitis can affect potency or cause infertility. The success of treatment largely depends on how quickly treatment was started, so a man must independently pay attention to the first signs. Consider how prostatitis manifests itself in acute and chronic forms, and also provide information on clinical manifestations and symptoms.
Signs of acute and chronic prostatitis
Acute prostatitis occurs most often in men of reproductive age who are sexually active. The first signs of the disease in this case appear unexpectedly, develop rapidly and cannot go unnoticed.
With acute prostatitis, a man will feel:
- sharp, often throbbing pain in the perineum;
- increase in temperature to 39 ° C;
- pain when urinating.
With a disease, the focus of the inflammatory process in the prostate gland is extensive, so neighboring organs can be involved in the pathological process. For example, prostatitis can affect the rectum, causing painful bowel movements.
Chronic prostatitis is most often diagnosed in men of retirement age. The disease can proceed without particular symptoms. Sometimes patients complain to the doctor of burning or itching when urinating, they notice mucous or purulent discharge from the glans 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 to be the precursors of the disease. They are the signal for a man to visit a doctor in the near future. The six symptoms listed below indicate a problem in the genitourinary system and therefore are combined into one group - dysuric syndrome:
- Urine is excreted in drops, the man makes an effort for this.
- The jet is slow, the flow rate does not exceed 20 cm.
- Urine splashing, splitting or inadvertent interruption of flow.
- Frequent need to use 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 a reason to see a doctor. Most likely, an inflammatory process has begun in the prostate.
The doctor will make a more accurate diagnosis after the rectal examination, TRUS, laboratory methods, which together make up a comprehensive examination. Based on the results of these measures, treatment is also selected, therefore self-medication is strictly prohibited.
Problems with urination can indicate prostate cancer, so the tactics of therapy will be fundamentally different.
Some manifestations are not always indicative of prostatitis; they can indicate any other inflammatory process in the genitourinary system. However, when they do appear, there is reason to be cautious. Consider how a man will feel if he has inflammation of the prostate.
Violation of urination
In a patient with acute prostatitis, the urination process is disturbed. Normally, a man can feel up to 15 pulses to relieve a small craving per day, this is due to the drinking regimen. Average indicators - 4-5 times. However, with prostatitis, the picture changes. A man may feel the pulse twice as often, but the urine volume will not increase. This means that the kidneys function smoothly, but the bladder walls are compressed by the prostate.
Narrowing of the prostatic urethra causes stranguria. This is a pathological condition in which a man experiences severe pain when urinating. The development of ischuria (inability to go to the toilet) is also possible.
Temperature increase
The first sign of acute prostatitis will be a rise in temperature to febrile levels (38-39 degrees). This symptom is especially characteristic of purulent prostatitis and is a harbinger of septic shock. As a severe infectious process 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 coagulation syndrome (disseminated intravascular coagulation).
The appearance of blood in the urine
This symptom is most often detected in a laboratory study of urine, less often visually by the man himself. This is a dangerous manifestation of prostatitis, which is very difficult to combat. The cause of hematuria (the scientific name of the trait) can be:
- the location of the blood vessel in the area of the purulent-inflammatory process;
- the development of prostate cancer or adenoma;
- trauma to the urethra or prostate on examination.
Also, such a manifestation is possible with calculous prostatitis, when stones and sand damage the gland tissue. Fortunately for men, prostatitis hematuria is very rare.
Groin pain syndrome
Acute prostatitis, as well as cases of complications in the chronic form, can be accompanied by pains of various kinds, from moderate to severe. This is not the first sign of prostatitis, but it cannot be ignored. The following types of discomfort are distinguished:
- shooting, sharp pains;
- painful or pressing sensations;
- itching and burning (more often with chlamydial prostatitis).
In some cases, men may also experience pain in the anus. It increases with bowel movements, in a sitting position, and disappears if the man is at rest.
Laboratory signs of the disease
It is possible to say that a man began prostatitis only after laboratory tests of blood and urine, as well as based on the results of ultrasound, CT, MRI and palpation. There are several known signs by which inflammation in an organ can be established:
- the appearance of leukocytes in the blood and urine;
- identification of the pathogenic microflora in urinary and prostatic secretions;
- an increase in the number of leukocytes against the background of a decrease in the number of grains of lecithin in the juice of the prostate;
- pain in the prostate area during rectal examination;
- an increase in the size of the gland on TRUS images, the presence of areas with increased echogenicity.
In addition, the presence of inflammation in the body can be judged by other parameters: an increase in ESR in blood tests, a shift in the leukogram, the presence of immobile spermatozoa in the ejaculate.
Various bacteria can be found in the urine: Trichomonas, Chlamydia, E. coli, etc.
From instrumental methods, in addition to TRUS, radiographic examination with contrast can be involved. In the images of the prostate in different projections, the signs of inflammation will be clearly visible - areas with disorders of the tissue structure.
Conclusion
From a practical point of view, the following first signs of prostatitis are important for a man: violations with urination and pain in the perineum. If the temperature rises at the same time, we can talk about acute bacterial prostatitis.
In any case, it is necessary to make an appointment with a doctor, undergo an examination and only then begin treatment. It is forbidden to choose your own therapy yourself, focusing only on unpleasant manifestations.