There are different stages of prostatitis. They differ from each other in clinical symptoms and course features. The most effective is the treatment of the initial stage of 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 man with prostatitis turns to a doctor for help, the less likely he is to make a full recovery.
What is prostatitis
Prostatitis is an inflammatory process that arose in the prostate. More than half of the elderly male population is personally familiar with this disease. Doctors distinguish several forms of the disease, each of which progresses in its own way. During diagnosis, urologists specify the type of prostatitis found in a patient. Inflammation can be bacterial or non-bacterial. Both pathologies negatively affect the functioning of the gland and neighboring organs.
The pathological process has 2 types of flow:
- Spicy;
- Chronic.
The first symptoms of acute prostatitis appear in the first days of the disease. Their severity increases if a man does not try to cope with inflammation. The chronic course is characterized by the absence of obvious symptoms of malaise. Therefore, this form of prostatitis is usually detected during a routine examination by a urologist.
Acute prostatitis, even at the initial stage, gives vivid symptoms, while chronic prostatitis does not manifest itself for a long time.
Stages of chronic disease
Chronic prostatitis is divided into several stages, which follow each other if a man does not try to fight the disease. It can be latent for several years. In this case, the pathology is periodically exacerbated. Remission and relapse of the disease gradually replace each other.
It only depends on the actions of the patient how long he will treat the disease, how far he can reach and whether he can fully recover.
1 floor
The initial stage of the prostate is considered the safest for health. That is why doctors recommend starting treatment at this stage. But the difficulty lies in the fact that at the very beginning the disease does not cause much discomfort. A man does not always even know that he is sick. If, for a number of reasons, the patient cannot overcome the pathological process in the prostate, he will move on to a more difficult stage. And so on until the causative agent of the infection is stopped by therapy.
Prostatitis of the 1st degree is characterized by such symptoms, which will be mild:
- Body temperature rises to 38 degrees. After a while, it can increase up to 40 degrees;
- Severe pain is felt in the region of the hip joints;
- There is discomfort during bowel movements;
- The member becomes slower;
- During urination, you may notice mucus that has no color;
- Pain appears during urination;
- The urethra narrows, so you have to strain to empty the bladder;
- At night, frequent urges to go to the toilet begin to bother;
- Sexual intercourse becomes shorter.
All these signs are a good reason to consult a specialist. They will bother a man up to 3 years old. It is during this period that the course of the first stage of the disease is usually observed.
Symptoms of inflammation of the prostate come and go, because at this stage the disease manifests itself in waves. It will seem to a man that the disease has receded, but after a while it betrays itself again.
Very often, patients do not complete the initial stage of prostate inflammation. Due to this, the disease becomes chronic. It is very difficult to cope with this form of pathology. The treatment will take a long time and require large sums of money to invest. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the disease will recede at the end of the therapeutic course.
A urologist can detect the initial stage of prostatitis in a patient if he undergoes a series of diagnostic procedures. The disease is detected by such studies:
- Palpation of the rectum;
- Collection of secretions and semen;
- General analysis of urine and blood;
- semen analysis;
- Ultrasound of the prostate.
Analysis of the research results will allow the specialist to determine the disease and its cause. If prostatitis turns out to be infectious, the man will be offered to drink antibiotics and other drugs that help restore the affected prostate tissue and normalize its performance. A non-infectious form of inflammation also requires drug treatment. Such treatment will be based on immunomodulatory drugs, dietary supplements and rectal suppositories with anti-inflammatory action.
If the initial stage of the disease proceeds in an unaggravated form, the patient is additionally prescribed physiotherapy, as well as a diet.
At an early stage, inflammation of the prostate responds well to treatment.
2 floors
Prostatitis of the 2nd degree is accompanied by a temporary weakening of symptoms. Many men perceive this condition as a cure. They postpone visits to the doctor or stop paying attention to therapy. But a decrease in the inflammatory process with such a diagnosis is a bad sign. During the first phase of the disease, the size of the prostate increased due to the active division of its cells. As a result, scars form on the walls. Ruptures of blood vessels lead to disruption of blood supply to the prostate gland.
The second stage of prostatitis is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Violation of biological rhythms;
- Nervousness;
- Pain when urinating;
- Heart failure;
- Exacerbation of sciatica;
- The disappearance of orgasm;
- Lack of sexual desire.
At this stage of prostatitis in men, it is difficult to correctly determine the specific localization of the pain syndrome. Initially, the pain is felt at the site of the prostate. Then it spreads to all areas of the small pelvis.
Patients with stage 2 prostatitis are recommended to take immunostimulating drugs and undergo physiotherapy procedures. In order for the situation not to get complicated, they need to avoid hypothermia, give up bad habits and normalize nutrition.
It is very important to have a healthy lifestyle
3 steps
The third stage of the development of inflammation in the prostate causes the most problems. In this case, a man is diagnosed with a chronic form of prostatitis. At this point, there is a serious change in the tissues of the prostate. They begin to die quickly. The scars formed during the previous stages strongly compress the bladder. This provokes the development of urinary retention, which is an extremely dangerous complication.
Prostatitis in 3 degrees of development leads to the appearance of pathological changes in the kidneys and bladder. The danger lies in the fact that they are irreversible. At this stage, men often complain of sciatica.
The last stage of the development of the disease has the following symptoms:
- frequent urge to urinate;
- Severe pain during urination;
- Weak urine output;
- Cut in the kidney area;
- Absence of feeling of complete emptying of the bladder after going to the toilet.
The last stage of chronic prostatitis is considered the most dangerous. At this stage, the dying cells are replaced by connective tissue. This change leads to a decrease in the size of the prostate and a narrowing of the urinary tract. Due to the fact that the system does not work properly, a man develops cystic formations. He also develops impotence.
Since in the later stages of the disease its symptoms are very pronounced, the life of the patient is very complicated. A constant pain haunts him day and night. Very often, for the first time, men turn to a urologist precisely because of such obvious symptoms of prostatitis. But, since irreversible processes have occurred in the gland at this time, doctors do not guarantee the elimination of pathology even if the patient fulfills all his requirements. It is difficult for them to predict how inflammation will behave at a given stage of development.
If the case 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, the pain becomes intense and the organ changes become irreversible.
Stages of acute disease
It is with acute inflammation of the glandular organ that prostatitis begins. It gradually intensifies. The prostate is affected by an infection that develops there safely with a weakened immune system. Chronic prostatitis is observed in those who could not cope with the acute form of the pathology. In this case, the man will feel the special symptoms of the disease only in the acute stage.
Inflammation of the prostate, caused by an infectious agent, manifests itself from the first days of the disease. Therefore, this form of pathology is diagnosed earlier than chronic. Acute prostatitis is characterized by slightly different stages of development. Doctors distinguish 4 degrees of the disease, which follow one another.
catarrhal stage
At this point, the inflammatory process in the prostate begins. It spreads in the ductal tissues of the glandular lobules. There is swelling of the prostate, which continues to progress. At this point, the man has no purulent discharge, which could indicate an infection of the gland. He will be bothered by other symptoms:
- Frequent need to go to the toilet;
- painful urination;
- General weakness in the body;
- Variable psycho-emotional state;
- listless mood;
- Irritability.
Another distinctive feature of acute prostatitis in stage 1 of development is an enlargement of the prostate. Although this symptom is also characteristic of the chronic course of the pathology. The doctor may notice this feature when palpating the problem area. Specific analyzes can confirm the fears of a specialist. He must orient the patient towards the delivery of the prostatic secretion to study its composition. With prostatitis, an increased number of leukocytes will be found in the fluid. Also in the sample, the doctor will detect impurities of pus and mucus.
Treatment of the catarrhal stage of acute prostatitis consists of taking a group of drugs that suppress inflammation and reduce the severity of the main symptoms of the disease.
Massage with such a pathology course is strictly prohibited, like many other similar physiotherapeutic procedures.
On average, the treatment of the initial stage of acute inflammation of the prostate takes about 2 weeks. During this time, the patient completely gets rid of the disease. The positive result of the therapy is due to the fact that it was started before the moment when the pathology had not yet managed to lead to the development of irreversible processes in the organs of the genitourinary system.
Follicular stage
With the development of this phase of prostatitis, the swelling spreads to the follicles and excretory ducts of the prostate. Its structures begin to compress nearby tissues, which causes severe suppuration. Symptoms of the disease intensify and become more pronounced and noticeable. In this state, men complain of the following signs of discomfort:
- Body temperature rises to 38 degrees and does not fall;
- listless mood;
- The appearance of pain in the groin area;
- Spread of pain to genitals, anal region and hip joint;
- painful urination;
- Pain in the head of the penis;
- Defecation becomes more difficult;
- Excretion of a minimum amount of urine.
By probing the problem area, you can detect an asymmetric increase in prostate tissue. When examining the results of a urine test, the doctor will detect the presence of an excessive amount of pus and white blood cells in the sample.
It is very important to start urgent treatment of the follicular stage of acute prostatitis, otherwise a malignant process may develop in the structures of the glandular organ.
If treatment is ignored, there is a risk of developing cancer
Parenchymal stage
The tissues of the prostate are subject to constant damage. Due to this, a large number of small pustules form there. The urinary tract is further compressed. This results in acute urinary retention. Other symptoms of the parenchymal stage are the following conditions:
- painful defecation;
- An increase in body temperature to 39 degrees or more;
- Constant feeling of 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 the feces, as the inflammation affects the intestines. The gland becomes quite large and its contours are blurred.
Stage of abscess formation
This stage of acute prostatitis is accompanied by a number of painful symptoms that prevent a man from leading a full life. They are more pronounced than at the initial stage of the development of the inflammatory process. At this stage, small pustules merge into a whole formation. Purulent masses quickly accumulate there. When it gets too big, it bursts. As a result, accumulated pus exits through the urethra. At the abscess stage, the patient is tormented by the following symptoms:
- severe malaise;
- Increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees;
- Passivity to any action;
- Severe pain in the anus and genitals;
- Difficulty defecating and urinating.
If a man in this condition does not receive adequate treatment, he can die. It is very important to remove the abscess so that the patient feels better. Only then will the main signs of the disease begin to subside.
Complications
The earlier the treatment of prostatitis is started, the less damage the inflammatory process will cause to the body. That is why it is better to treat the disease at an early stage. But not all men adhere to this recommendation, since many hope that the disease will go away on its own. Due to this, the disease progresses and leads to the development of unpleasant complications. Neglecting the help of a specialist, a person faces the following consequences of untreated prostatitis:
- The appearance of various inflammatory processes in the organs of the genitourinary system;
- Decreased libido;
- Psychological disorders;
- Infertility;
- Incapacity.
It is not uncommon for men who have had prostatitis to have normal erections. It is because of this that the sexual activity of the patient is significantly reduced. In some cases, the absence of ejaculation is considered a complication. A man's penis can drop off suddenly. If such deviations are found, it is necessary to consult a specialist in order to find out the nature of the violation and find ways to get rid of it.
Do not forget that the inflammatory process can actively spread to nearby tissues and organs. That is why, against the background of prostatitis, men additionally develop cystitis and urethritis. These diseases lead to a violation of the outflow of urine. The occurrence of chronic incontinence is not excluded.
Impotence is perceived by men as one of the most serious complications of acute or chronic prostatitis. With such a deviation, the ability to excite disappears. This is due to inflammation, which interferes with the process of tissue nutrition. Edema does not allow the cavernous bodies to completely fill with blood. Medicine has learned to treat this complication with long-term drug therapy. However, not all patients who have taken such a course are satisfied with the result.
It is prostatitis that is called the main cause of the development of infertility of the 1st degree. In this case, a variant of the disease is considered, in which the composition of seminal fluid changes. The secret changes its level of acidity and viscosity. All these deviations are detected during the study of the semen sample, which was submitted for analysis.
With the problem of infertility, men should contact an andrologist. It will help you choose the best treatment.
If the prostatitis is severe, it will lead to the appearance of infertility of the 2nd degree. This condition is not amenable to therapeutic treatment.
The psycho-emotional mood of a man suffers greatly due to inflammation of the prostate. Frequent failures in the intimate sphere worry him. Against this background, depressions appear, which further worsen the general condition of the patient.
More than 30% of patients who have been diagnosed with prostatitis face psycho-emotional experiences. A psychologist helps them restore the male libido, which has been reduced due to stress.
Impotence and infertility are common complications of the disease
Remission of chronic prostatitis
If the treatment of prostatitis has been started, the patient can achieve remission. This is the name of the state in which there is a significant weakening of the symptoms of the disease or their complete disappearance. Prostatitis in remission is fixed in most patients who have completed a full course of treatment. This period varies from person to person. If a man does not follow the recommendations of a doctor, after a while there will be an exacerbation of inflammation of the prostate. And then the patient will have to be treated again.
Kinds
Remission with prostatitis can be complete and incomplete. In the first case, after a full therapy, the man ceases to be bothered by absolutely all the symptoms of the pathology. He forgets them for a long time. Incomplete remission usually lasts no more than 3 months. During this time, the patient may complain of minor symptoms that characterize prostatitis. For example, many continue to have painful urination and discomfort in the pelvic area.
Duration
Even experienced doctors sometimes find it very difficult to predict how long remission will last for a particular person who has been treated for prostatitis. This indicator is individual. The length of this period directly depends on several factors:
- The causative agent of the disease;
- General condition of the body;
- The quality of treatment;
- The severity of the disease;
- Stage of the disease.
It also takes into account the extent to which the patient conscientiously follows the recommendations of the attending physician, which relate to the prevention of recurrence of prostatitis.
If a man fulfills all the requirements of a specialist and carefully takes care of his own health, his remission can last for several decades. Sometimes the disease recedes completely.
Provide
If a patient who had to undergo treatment for chronic prostatitis begins to lead a decent life, will pass control tests and regularly visit his doctor, as well as medication to prevent the recurrence of inflammation of the prostate, then he will havea favorable recovery prognosis. In this case, the disease may never bother a person again.
If a man still gets sick with prostatitis, he should immediately start treatment. For this you need to contact a specialist. A comprehensive examination of the genitourinary system will help the urologist to choose the appropriate treatment that will stop the disease and eliminate the complications that have arisen.