Prostatitis has different stages. They differ from each other in clinical symptoms and course characteristics. It is most effective in treating the initial stages of the development of inflammation of the prostate. At this stage, the disease does not have time to greatly affect the functioning of the genitourinary system. The later a prostatitis patient seeks help from a doctor, the less chance he has of a full recovery.
what is prostatitis
Prostatitis is an inflammatory process that occurs in the prostate. More than half of the older male population is very familiar with the disease. Doctors distinguish between several forms of the disease, each in its own way. When making a diagnosis, the urologist will specify the type of prostatitis that the patient finds. Inflammation can be bacterial or non-bacterial. Both pathologies can negatively affect the function of glands and adjacent organs.
There are two flows of pathological processes:
- Spicy;
- chronic.
The first symptoms of acute prostatitis appear on the first day of the disease. If a person does not try to deal with inflammation, their severity increases. The chronic course is characterized by the absence of obvious symptoms of discomfort. Therefore, this form of prostatitis is usually detected during a routine examination by a urologist.
Acute prostatitis has distinct symptoms even in the early stage, while chronic prostatitis does not manifest itself for a long time.
stage of chronic disease
Chronic prostatitis is divided into several stages that can be interdependent if a person does not try to fight the disease. It can lie dormant for years. In this case, the pathology deteriorates periodically. Remission and relapse of the disease gradually replace each other.
It only depends on the patient's actions, how long he can be treated, what stage he can reach, and whether he can fully recover.
Stage 1
The initial stages of the prostate are considered the safest for health. This is why doctors recommend starting treatment at this stage. But the difficulty is that the disease doesn't cause much discomfort in the first place. A person doesn't even always know they're sick. If the patient cannot overcome the pathological process of the prostate for several reasons, he will enter a more difficult stage. So it continues until the infecting pathogen is stopped by treatment.
First-degree prostatitis is characterized by mild symptoms:
- Body temperature rose to 38 degrees. After some time, it can increase to the 40 degree mark;
- severe pain in the hip area;
- discomfort during bowel movements;
- Members become more sluggish;
- During urination, you notice mucus that has no color;
- Pain when urinating;
- The urethra becomes narrower, so you have to forcefully empty the bladder;
- At night, the urge to go to the toilet frequently begins to be disturbed;
- Intercourse becomes shorter.
All of these signs are good reasons to visit a specialist. They will bother a man for up to 3 years. It is during this time that the course of the first stage of the disease is usually observed.
Symptoms of prostate inflammation can come and go, because at this stage, the disease manifests in waves. To a man, the disease had subsided, but after a while, she betrayed herself again.
Many times, patients do not complete the initial stages of prostate inflammation. Because of this, the disease becomes chronic. Dealing with this form of pathology is very difficult. Treatment takes a long time and requires a large investment. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the disease will subside after completing the course of treatment.
If the patient undergoes a series of diagnostic procedures, the urologist can detect the initial stages of prostatitis in the patient. The disease was discovered through the following studies:
- rectal palpation;
- collection of secretions and sperm;
- General analysis of urine and blood;
- sperm analysis;
- Prostate ultrasound.
Analysis of the findings will allow experts to determine the disease and its causes. If the prostatitis turns out to be contagious, the man will be required to drink antibiotics and other drugs that help restore the affected prostate tissue and normalize its performance. Noninfectious inflammations also require drug treatment. This treatment will be based on immunomodulatory drugs, dietary supplements and rectal suppositories with anti-inflammatory properties.
If the initial stage of the disease is carried out in a non-exacerbating form, the patient is given physical therapy in addition to the diet.
In the early stages, prostatitis responds well to treatment.
Stage 2
Secondary prostatitis is accompanied by a temporary decrease in symptoms. Many men see the condition as recovery. They put off seeing a doctor or stop paying due attention to treatment. But a reduction in the inflammatory process resulting from this diagnosis is a bad sign. As the first stage of the disease progresses, the prostate increases in size due to the active division of its cells. As a result, scars form on the walls. A ruptured blood vessel can interrupt the blood supply to the prostate.
The second stage of prostatitis is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Violation of biological rhythms;
- nervous;
- pain when urinating;
- heart failure;
- exacerbation of sciatica;
- orgasm disappears;
- Lack of libido.
At this stage of male prostatitis, it is difficult to correctly pinpoint the exact localization of the pain syndrome. Initially, pain is felt at the location of the prostate. After it spreads to all areas of the small pelvis.
Patients with stage 2 prostatitis are advised to take immunostimulating drugs and participate in a physical therapy program. In order not to complicate the situation, they need to avoid hypothermia, quit bad habits, and normalize nutrition.
Having a healthy lifestyle is very important
Stage 3
The third stage of the development of inflammation of the prostate presents the most problems. In this case, a man was diagnosed with chronic prostatitis. During this stage, the prostate tissue undergoes severe changes. They start dying quickly. Scar formation from past stages strongly compresses the bladder. This can trigger urinary retention, an extremely dangerous complication.
Stage 3 prostatitis results in pathological changes in the kidneys and bladder. The danger is that they are irreversible. At this stage, men often complain of sciatica.
The final stages of disease development are characterized by the following symptoms:
- frequent urination;
- severe pain when urinating;
- weak urine flow;
- cut in the kidney area;
- Lack of a feeling of full bladder emptying after going to the toilet.
The final stage of chronic prostatitis is considered the most dangerous. During this stage, dying cells are replaced by connective tissue. This change results in a decrease in the size of the prostate gland and a narrowing of the urinary tract. Because the system doesn't work properly, a person develops a sac-like structure. He also has impotence.
The patient's life is complicated by the fact that the symptoms are very pronounced in the final stages of the disease. The constant pain haunted him day and night. Many times, men turn to a urologist for the first time because of the obvious symptoms of prostatitis. However, since an irreversible process has already taken place in the glands at this time, doctors cannot guarantee the elimination of the pathology, even if the patient meets all their requirements. They had a hard time predicting how inflammation would behave at a particular stage of development.
If the condition is severe and antibiotics do not bring significant relief, the patient is referred for surgery to partially or completely remove the prostate.
In stage 3, pain becomes severe and organ changes become irreversible.
stage of acute illness
Prostatitis begins with acute inflammation of the glandular organs. It escalates gradually. The prostate is affected by an infection in which the infection develops safely and the immune system weakens. Chronic prostatitis is observed in those unable to cope with the acute pathological form. In this case, men do not feel the specific symptoms of the disease until they enter the acute phase.
Inflammation of the prostate caused by infectious agents manifests itself from the first day of the disease. Therefore, this pathological form is diagnosed earlier than chronic. Acute prostatitis is characterized by slightly different stages of development. Doctors distinguish 4 disease degrees, which are interdependent.
catarrhal period
At this stage, the inflammatory process of the prostate begins. It spreads in the ductal tissue of the glandular lobules. The prostate is swollen and continues to develop. At this stage, the man has no purulent discharge, which may indicate glandular infection. He will be plagued by other symptoms:
- Frequent urges to go to the toilet;
- painful urination;
- general weakness;
- Variable psycho-emotional states;
- apathy;
- irritability.
Another striking feature of acute prostatitis in developmental stage 1 is an enlarged prostate. Although this symptom is also characteristic of the pathological chronic process. The doctor will be able to notice this feature when palpating the problem area. Special analysis can confirm the fears of experts. He had to refer patients to the delivery of prostate secretions to study its composition. With prostatitis, a higher number of white blood cells are found in the fluid. Also in the sample, doctors check for impurities in pus and mucus.
Treatment of the catarrhal phase of acute prostatitis involves taking a group of drugs that suppress inflammation and reduce the severity of the main symptoms of the disease.
Like many other similar physiotherapy procedures, massage with this pathological process is strictly prohibited.
On average, treatment in the initial stages of acute inflammation of the prostate takes about 2 weeks. During this period, the patient is completely free of the disease. The positive result of the treatment is because it begins before the pathology has managed to lead to the development of irreversible processes in the organs of the genitourinary system.
follicular phase
As this stage of prostatitis progresses, the swelling can spread to the hair follicles and the excretory passages of the prostate. Its structure begins to compress adjacent tissue, causing severe suppuration. The symptoms of the disease intensify and become more pronounced and noticeable. In this case, men complain of the following uncomfortable symptoms:
- Body temperature rises to 38 degrees without falling;
- apathy;
- Pain in the groin area;
- pain that spreads to the genitals, anal area, and hip joints;
- painful urination;
- pain in the head of the penis;
- bowel movements become more difficult;
- The least amount of urine is excreted.
When probing the problem area, you can detect asymmetrical increases in prostate tissue. When checking the results of a urinalysis, doctors test the sample for excess pus and white blood cells.
It is very important to initiate urgent treatment of the follicular phase of acute prostatitis, otherwise the structure of the glandular organ may undergo a malignant process.
Risk of cancer if treatment is ignored
Substantial stage
Prostate tissue is often damaged. As a result, numerous small pustules form in it. The urinary tract is further compressed. As a result, acute urinary retention occurs. Other symptoms of the substantial stage are the following:
- Painful bowel movements;
- Body temperature rises above 39 degrees;
- persistent intense thirst;
- loss of appetite;
- severe weakness;
- chronic fatigue;
- difficulty urinating;
- severe pain in the pelvis, anus, and lower back;
- Flatulence and constipation.
Impurities of abnormal mucus begin to appear in stool as inflammation affects the gut. The glands become quite large and their outlines are blurred.
stage of abscess formation
This stage of acute prostatitis is accompanied by many distressing symptoms that prevent a man from living a full life. They are more pronounced than the initial stages of the development of the inflammatory process. At this stage, small pustules coalesce into a whole. The purulent material quickly accumulates inside. When it gets too big, it bursts. As a result, the accumulated pus flows out through the urethra. During the abscess phase, the patient suffers from the following symptoms:
- severe discomfort;
- Body temperature rises up to 40 degrees;
- Negative attitude towards any action;
- severe pain in the anus and genitals;
- Difficulty defecation and urination.
If a person in this condition does not receive adequate treatment, he may die. In order for the patient to feel better, it is very important to remove the abscess. Only then will the main symptoms of the disease begin to subside.
complication
The earlier the treatment of prostatitis begins, the less harmful the inflammatory process will be to the body. That's why it's best to deal with this disease in its early stages. But not all men follow this advice, as many hope the disease will go away on its own. Because of this, the disease progresses and leads to the development of unpleasant complications. Ignoring expert help, a person faces the following consequences of untreated prostatitis:
- Various inflammatory processes appear in the organs of the genitourinary system;
- decreased libido;
- mental disorder;
- infertility;
- Impotence.
It is not uncommon for men with prostatitis to have normal erections. Because of this, the patient's sexual activity decreased significantly. In some cases, not ejaculating is considered a complication. A man's penis may plummet. If such deviations are discovered, access to experts is required to understand the nature of the breach and find a fix.
Don't forget that inflammatory processes can actively spread to adjacent tissues and organs. This is why, against the background of prostatitis, men also suffer from cystitis and urethritis. These diseases lead to a violation of the flow of urine. Chronic urinary incontinence cannot be ruled out.
Men consider impotence to be one of the most serious complications of acute or chronic prostatitis. With such a deviation, the ability to excite is lost. This is due to inflammation that interferes with the process of tissue nutrition. Edema does not allow the corpus cavernosum to completely fill with blood. Medicine has learned to treat this complication with long-term medication. However, not all patients who complete such courses are satisfied with the results.
Prostatitis is known as the main cause of the development of 1st degree infertility. In this case, a variant of the disease is considered in which the composition of semen changes. This secret changes its acidity and viscosity levels. All of these biases were detected during the study of sperm samples submitted for analysis.
For infertility issues, men should contact an andrologist. It will help you choose the best treatment.
If prostatitis is severe, 2nd degree infertility will occur. This condition is not suitable for therapeutic treatment.
Due to prostate inflammation, men's psychological mood is greatly affected. Frequent failures in the intimate realm worry him. Against this background, depression appears, which further worsens the general condition of the patient.
More than 30% of patients diagnosed with prostatitis face psycho-emotional experiences. Psychologists help them restore male libido that has been reduced by stress.
Impotence and infertility are common complications of the disease
Relief of chronic prostatitis
Patients can achieve remission if treatment for prostatitis is started. This is the name for a disease in which symptoms of the disease are markedly diminished or completely eliminated. Remission of prostatitis was fixed in most patients who completed a full course of treatment. This period varies from person to person. If a man doesn't follow his doctor's advice, inflammation of the prostate can worsen over time. The patient will then have to be treated again.
type
Remission of prostatitis can be complete or incomplete. In the first case, after comprehensive treatment, the man is completely free from all pathological symptoms. He forgot about them for a long time. Incomplete remission usually lasts no more than 3 months. During this time, patients may complain of mild symptoms of prostatitis. For example, many people continue to experience pain and discomfort with urination in the pelvic area.
period
Even experienced physicians sometimes have a hard time predicting how long remission will last in a particular patient being treated for prostatitis. This indicator is personal. The duration of this period depends directly on many factors:
- causative agent of disease;
- the general condition of the body;
- the quality of treatment;
- the severity of the disease;
- disease stage.
It also takes into account whether the patient carefully follows the advice of the attending physician, which is related to the prevention of recurrence of prostatitis.
If a person meets all the requirements of a specialist and takes care of his health, his remission can last for decades. Sometimes the disease resolves completely.
forecast
A patient who needs to be treated for chronic prostatitis, if he starts a correct lifestyle, carries out controlled examinations, sees a doctor regularly, and takes medication to prevent the recurrence of prostatitis, his recovery will have a smooth prognosis. In this case, the disease may never bother a person again.
If a man still has prostatitis, he should start treatment immediately. For this, you need to contact an expert. A thorough examination of the genitourinary system will help the urologist choose the appropriate treatment to stop the disease and eliminate complications that have arisen.