The term prostatitis is used to describe conditions that cause inflammation or infection in the prostate, a small gland located directly below the bladder in men.

Prostatitis may have either abacterialor nonbacterial cause. The types of prostatitis are:

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis doesn’t cause any symptoms, but the inflammation is revealed during exams such as abiopsy.

However, the other types of prostatitis may result in swelling and frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Before a doctor diagnoses someone with chronic bacterial prostatitis, they will first have to rule out the other types of prostatitis.

Even if chronic bacterial prostatitis is treated, bacteria may still survive in theprostate, and symptoms often return. Prolonged use of antibiotics is often necessary to effectively treat this condition.

Bacterial infections in the prostate can be very painful.

The symptoms begin slowly and last 3 months or longer. Seek medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms:

Serious complications can arise if an infection isn’t properly treated. Complications include:

  • urinary retention, which is an inability to urinate
  • sepsis, which occurs when bacteria spread into the bloodstream
  • a prostate abscess, which is a collection ofpusthat causes inflammation

A bacterial infection causes chronic bacterial prostatitis. Even when the primary symptoms of infection have been treated, bacteria may continue to thrive in the prostate.

Causes of infection include:

为发展中某些因素使人们处于危险中this condition, such as:

To make a diagnosis, your doctor will review your medical history and perform a physical exam to look forswollen lymph nodes near the groinorfluid dischargefrom the urethra.

Your doctor will also perform adigital rectal exam (DRE)to examine the prostate. During this test, they will insert a lubricated and gloved finger into your rectum to look for signs of infection, such as a soft or enlarged prostate.

Your doctor may also use the following tests and techniques:

Antibioticsare the main course of treatment for this condition. They’re usually taken for 4 to 12 weeks. For many people, treatment will last for 6 weeks.

First-line treatment is typically a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), ofloxacin, or levofloxacin.

However, fluoroquinolones can increase your risk for aruptured Achilles tendon, which is why they are no longer considered a preferred treatment.

Other commonly prescribed antibiotics include:

  • sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim), another first-line treatment
  • tetracycline antibiotics, such asdoxycyclineorazithromycin(Zithromax)

Tetracyclines are commonly used in cases where a doctor identifies or suspectschlamydiaor mycoplasma genitalium. Like chlamydia, mycoplasma genitalium is an STI.

The antibiotic that you’re prescribed will ultimately depend on which bacterium is causing your prostatitis.

Your doctor will schedule a follow-up exam once you’ve finished treatment to ensure that the infection is completely gone. It may take 6 months to 1 year for symptoms to go away completely.

Treatments for symptom relief

The preferred treatment regimen for chronic bacterial prostatitis is a combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications, such asnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Although NSAIDs can provide relief from the pain of prostatitis, they’re primarily used to reduce inflammation.

Other medications you may receive are:

Certain home remedies may be able to ease your symptoms too. Home remedies include:

Rare treatments

You may need additional treatment in the following rare cases:

  • If you’re unable to urinate, a healthcare professional will insert aFoley catheterinto your bladder to help empty it.
  • If you have an abscess, your doctor will drain it.
  • If you develop sepsis, you’ll get intensive antibiotic therapy, and you’ll need to stay in the hospital for treatment.
  • If you have stones, or mineral deposits, in your prostate, your doctor may need toremove your prostate. This is very rare.

This condition is very treatable. However, it’s very common for the infection to come back.

Make sure to schedule follow-up appointments with your doctor, so that they can make sure your treatments are effective.