What does chronic prostatitis mean?
Chronic prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate that lasts for at least 3 months. The prostate is a small gland located below the male bladder. It surrounds the urethra, produces a small amount of seminal fluid, and is important for the pH balance of semen.
What is the best treatment for chronic prostatitis?
Antibiotics. Taking antibiotics is the most commonly prescribed treatment for prostatitis. Your doctor will choose your medication based on the type of bacteria that might be causing your infection. If you have severe symptoms, you might need intravenous (IV) antibiotics.
What is chronic prostatitis symptoms?
Symptoms
- Pain or burning sensation when urinating (dysuria)
- Difficulty urinating, such as dribbling or hesitant urination.
- Frequent urination, particularly at night (nocturia)
- Urgent need to urinate.
- Cloudy urine.
- Blood in the urine.
- Pain in the abdomen, groin or lower back.
Will chronic prostatitis ever go away?
Chronic prostatitis develops gradually and can last for months or even years. Doctors consider prostatitis to be chronic if symptoms continue for 3 months or more. It may not respond well to the first treatments a doctor recommends. Acute prostatitis is a temporary condition that occurs suddenly.
How is the diagnosis and treatment of prostatitis made?
There are four classifications of prostatitis: acute bacterial, chronic bacterial, chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and asymptomatic. Diagnosis of acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis is primarily based on history, physical examination, urine culture, and urine specimen testing pre- and post-prostatic massage.
What are the different types of chronic prostatitis?
When symptoms start gradually and linger for more than a couple of weeks, the condition is called chronic prostatitis. Three major types of chronic prostatitis are: Chronic bacterial prostatitis — In this condition, a bacterial infection causes swelling and inflammation of the prostate.
Is there a cure for chronic bacterial prostatitis?
If you have chronic bacterial prostatitis, your symptoms will generally ease when treated with antibiotics. However, unless the antibiotics completely clear the infection from the prostate gland, you are at risk of the infection coming back (flaring up) again.
When to see a specialist for chronic prostatitis?
If the specialist suspects that you have chronic bacterial prostatitis and your symptoms have not cleared after a four-week course of antibiotics, they may suggest a longer course. Sometimes a course of up to three months is used. Removal of the prostate (prostatectomy) may be considered if you have small stones (calculi) in the prostate.