Prostatitis
What is Prostatitis ?
Prostatitis is a condition of the prostate gland most often linked with swelling and irritation, called inflammation. Prostatitis can make it painful or hard to urinate. It also may cause pain in the groin, pelvic area, or genitals. Bacterial infections cause some but not all prostatitis.
The prostate gland, about the size of a walnut, sits just below the bladder in people assigned male at birth. It surrounds the top part of the tube that drains urine from the bladder, called the urethra. The prostate and other sex glands make the fluid that carries sperm during ejaculation. This fluid is called semen.
Symptoms
- Pain or burning feeling when urinating
- Trouble urinating
- Urinating often
- Urgent need to urinate
- Cloudy urine
- Blood in the urine
- Pain in the belly
- Pain in the area between the scrotum and rectum
- Pain or discomfort of the penis or testicles
- Painful ejaculation
- Fever
- Chills and muscle aches
Cause
Causes depend on the type of prostatitis. Acute bacterial prostatitis. Common strains of bacteria are most often the cause. The infection may have spread from other parts of the urinary or reproductive systems. Chronic bacterial prostatitis. This most often has the same cause as an acute bacterial infection. It may happen when treatment for an acute infection isn’t long enough or fails to kill all the bacteria. Chronic prostatitis, also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Research suggests that the cause may involve several factors. These include an earlier infection, a condition of the nervous system or immune system, psychological stress, or issues with hormones. Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. This has no known cause. It may show up during an exam for other medical conditions.
Risk Factors
Risk factors for prostatitis include young or middle adulthood. Earlier prostatitis. Infection of the urinary or reproductive system. HIV infection or AIDS. Use of a tube put into the urethra to drain the bladder, called a urinary catheter. Having a sample of prostate tissue taken for study in a lab, called a biopsy. Other risk factors for chronic prostatitis, also called chronic pelvic pain syndrome, may include mental stress. Nerve damage in the pelvic region due to surgery or injury.
When to see a Doctor
Several conditions can cause symptoms like those of prostatitis. Get a diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.