There are different stages of prostatitis. They differ from each other in terms of clinical symptoms and course characteristics. The most effective treatment is the initial stage of the development of prostate inflammation. 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 lower his chances of a full recovery.
What is prostatitis
Prostatitis is an inflammatory process that has appeared 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 proceeds in its own way. When making a diagnosis, urologists determine the type of prostatitis the patient has. Inflammation can be bacterial or non-bacterial. Both pathologies negatively affect the work of the gland and neighboring organs.
The pathological process has 2 types of flow:
- Spicy;
- Chronic.
Initial symptoms of acute prostatitis appear from the first days of the disease. Their weight increases if a man does not try to fight the inflammation. The chronic course is characterized by the absence of obvious symptoms of weakness. Therefore, this form of prostatitis is usually detected during a routine examination by a urologist.
Acute prostatitis, even in 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 one after the other if the man does not try to fight the disease. It can be latent for several years. In this case, the pathology occasionally worsens. Remission and relapse of the disease gradually change.
It depends only on the patient's actions how long he will treat the disease, to what stage it will be able to reach and whether he will be able to fully recover.
1 phase
The initial stage of the prostate is considered the safest for health. This 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 person does not always know that he is sick. If, for several reasons, the patient could not overcome the pathological process in the prostate, it moves to a more difficult stage. And so it will continue until the cause 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 to the 40 degree mark;
- Severe pain is felt in the area of the hip joints;
- There is discomfort during bowel movements;
- The member becomes slower;
- In the process of urinating, you may notice colorless mucus;
- Pain occurs during urination;
- The urethra narrows more and more, so you have to strain to empty your bladder;
- At night, they begin to disturb the frequent need for the toilet;
- Sexual intercourse becomes shorter.
All these signs are a good reason to visit a specialist. Will harass a man for up to 3 years. During this period, the course of the first phase of the disease is usually observed.
The symptoms of prostate inflammation will come and go, because at this stage the disease manifests itself in waves. It will seem to a person that the disease has subsided, but after a while it reappears.
Very often, patients do not complete the initial stage of prostate inflammation. This is why the disease becomes chronic. It is very difficult to deal with this form of pathology. Treatment will take a long time and will require the investment of large sums of money. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the disease will go away after 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 through such studies:
- Palpation of the rectum;
- Collection of secretions and semen;
- General analysis of urine and blood;
- Sperm analysis;
- Ultrasound of the prostate.
Analysis of the research results will allow the expert to determine the disease and its cause. If it turns out that prostatitis is infectious, then the man will be offered to drink antibiotics and other drugs that help restore the affected prostate tissue and normalize its work. The non-infectious form of inflammation also requires drug therapy. Such treatment will be based on immunomodulatory drugs, nutritional supplements and rectal suppositories with anti-inflammatory effects.
If the initial stage of the disease occurs in an uncomplicated form, then the patient is additionally prescribed physiotherapy along with diet.
In the early stages, prostate inflammation responds well to treatment.
2 stages
Prostatitis of the 2nd degree is accompanied by a temporary weakening of symptoms. Many men perceive this condition as recovery. They postpone visits to the doctor or stop paying due attention to therapy. But the reduction of the inflammatory process with such a diagnosis is a bad sign. During the first stage of the disease, there was an increase in the size of the prostate due to the active division of its cells. As a result, scars form on the walls. Cracks in blood vessels lead to disorders of blood supply to the prostate.
The second stage of prostatitis is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Violation of biological rhythms;
- nervousness;
- Pain during urination;
- Heart failure;
- Exacerbation of sciatica;
- Loss 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. At first, the pain is felt at the prostate. After it spreads to all areas of the pelvis.
Patients with stage 2 prostatitis are recommended to take immunostimulating drugs and attend physiotherapy procedures. In order not to complicate the situation, it is necessary to avoid hypothermia, give up bad habits and normalize the diet.
It is very important to lead a healthy lifestyle
3 stages
The third stage of the development of prostate inflammation brings the most problems. In this case, the man is diagnosed with a chronic form of prostatitis. At this stage, a serious change occurs in the tissues of the prostate. They begin to die quickly. Scars formed in previous stages strongly squeeze the bladder. This causes the development of urine retention, which is an extremely dangerous complication.
Prostatitis at 3 stages 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 disease development has the following symptoms:
- Frequent urge to urinate;
- Severe pain during urination;
- Poor urine flow;
- Cutting in the kidney area;
- Lack of a 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. It also develops impotence.
Since in the last stages of the disease its symptoms are very pronounced, the patient's life is greatly complicated. Constant pain haunts him day and night. Often, men turn to a urologist for the first time precisely because of such obvious symptoms of prostatitis. But since irreversible processes have occurred in the gland by this time, doctors do not guarantee that they will get rid of the pathology even if the patient meets 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, then the patient is referred to surgery for partial or complete removal of the prostate.
In stage 3, the pain becomes severe and the changes in the organs become irreversible.
Phases of acute illness
Prostatitis begins precisely with acute inflammation in the glandular organ. It is gradually escalating. The prostate is affected by an infection that safely develops in it 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 not feel special symptoms of the disease until he is in the acute phase.
Inflammation of the prostate, which is 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 stages of the disease, which follow one after the other.
catarrhal stage
In this phase, 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 stage, the man has no purulent discharge, which could indicate an infection in the gland. He will also be bothered by other symptoms:
- Frequent desire to go to the toilet;
- Painful urination;
- General weakness in the body;
- Variable psychoemotional state;
- apathetic mood;
- Irritability.
Another distinguishing characteristic of acute prostatitis in stage 1 of development is prostate enlargement. Although this symptom is also characteristic of the chronic course of the pathology. The doctor will be able to notice this feature during palpation of the problem area. Special analyzes allow the specialist's fears to be confirmed. He must refer the patient to the delivery of prostate secretions in order 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 course of pathology is strictly prohibited, as well as many other similar physiotherapeutic procedures.
On average, the treatment of the initial phase of acute inflammation of the prostate takes about 2 weeks. During this time, the patient completely gets rid of the disease. The positive outcome 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 phase
With the development of this stage of prostatitis, the swelling spreads to the follicles and excretory ducts of the prostate. Its structures begin to compress neighboring tissues, which causes serious suppuration. The symptoms of the disease intensify and become more pronounced and noticeable. In this condition, men complain of the following signs of weakness:
- Body temperature rises to 38 degrees and does not fall;
- apathetic mood;
- Appearance of pain in the groin area;
- Spreading pain to the genitals, anal area and hip joint;
- painful urination;
- Pain in the head of the penis;
- Defecation becomes more severe;
- Excreting a minimal amount of urine.
When probing the problem area, you may find an asymmetric enlargement of the prostate tissue. While reviewing the results of the urinalysis, 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 phase of acute prostatitis, otherwise a malignant process may develop in the structures of the glandular organ.
If therapy is neglected, there is a risk of developing cancer
Parenchymal stage
Prostate tissues are subject to constant damage. Because of this, a large number of small pustules are formed in them. The urinary tract is additionally compressed. As a result, acute retention of urine occurs. 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 pelvis, anus and lower back;
- Bloating 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 numerous painful symptoms that prevent a man from leading a full life. They are more pronounced than in the initial phase of the development of the inflammatory process. At this stage, small pustules merge into a whole formation. Purulent masses quickly accumulate in it. When it gets too big, it bursts. As a result, accumulated pus comes out through the urethra. In the abscess phase, the patient suffers from the following symptoms:
- severe malaise;
- Increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees;
- Passivity to any actions;
- Intense pain in the anus and genitals;
- Difficulty in defecation and urination.
If a person in this condition is not given adequate treatment, he may die. It is very important to remove the abscess in order to make the patient feel better. Only then will the main signs of the disease begin to subside.
Complications
The sooner the treatment of prostatitis is started, the less damage the inflammatory process will cause to the body. That is why it is best to treat the disease at an early stage. But not all men follow this recommendation, because many hope that the disease will go away on its own. Because of this, the disease progresses and leads to the development of unpleasant complications. Neglecting the help of experts, a person faces the following consequences of untreated prostatitis:
- The appearance of various inflammatory processes in the organs of the genitourinary system;
- Decreased sex drive;
- Psychological disorders;
- infertility;
- Impotence.
It is not uncommon for men who have had prostatitis to have normal erections. Because of this, the patient's sexual activity is significantly reduced. In some cases, the absence of ejaculation is considered a complication. A man's penis may drop suddenly. If such deviations are found, it is necessary to visit a specialist to determine the nature of the violation and find ways to get rid of it.
Do not forget that the inflammatory process can actively spread to neighboring tissues and organs. Therefore, 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.
Men perceive impotence as one of the most difficult complications of acute or chronic prostatitis. With such a deviation, the ability to excite disappears. This is due to inflammation, which interferes with the tissue nutrition process. Edema does not allow the corpora cavernosa to fill completely with blood. Medicine has learned to treat this complication with long-term drug therapy. However, not all patients who completed such a course are satisfied with the result.
It is precisely prostatitis that is called the main cause of the development of infertility of the 1st degree. In this case, we are considering a variant of the disease in which the composition of the seminal fluid changes. The secret changes its acidity and viscosity level. All these deviations are revealed during the study of the sperm sample, which was submitted for analysis.
Men should consult an andrologist for infertility problems. It will help you choose the best treatment.
If prostatitis is severe, it will lead to 2nd degree infertility. This condition is not amenable to therapeutic treatment.
A man's psycho-emotional mood suffers greatly due to prostate inflammation. 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 diagnosed with prostatitis face psycho-emotional experiences. A psychologist helps them regain their male libido, which has been reduced due to stress.
Impotence and infertility are frequent complications of the disease
Remission of chronic prostatitis
If the treatment of prostatitis is started, the patient can achieve its remission. This is the name of the condition 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 the full course of treatment. This period varies from person to person. If a man does not follow the doctor's recommendations, then after some time the inflammation of the prostate gland will worsen. And then the patient will have to be treated again.
Species
Remission with prostatitis can be complete or incomplete. In the first case, after complete therapy, a person stops being disturbed by absolutely all symptoms of the pathology. He forgets about them for a long period. Incomplete remission usually lasts no longer than 3 months. During this time, the patient may complain of minor symptoms that characterize prostatitis. For example, many still experience 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 duration of this period directly depends on a number of factors:
- The causative agent of the disease;
- General state of the organism;
- Quality of treatment;
- Severity of the disease;
- Stage of disease.
It is also taken into account how conscientiously the patient adheres to the doctor's recommendations, which are related to the prevention of recurrence of prostatitis.
If a person meets all the requirements of a specialist and carefully takes care of his health, then his remission can last for several decades. Sometimes the disease goes away completely.
Forecast
If a patient who had to undergo treatment for chronic prostatitis begins to lead a correct lifestyle, will do control tests and regularly visit his doctor, as well as take drugs to prevent the recurrence of prostate inflammation, then he will have a favorable recovery. forecast. In this case, the disease may never bother the person again.
If a man does suffer from prostatitis, treatment should be started immediately. For that you need to contact an expert. A complete examination of the genitourinary system will help the urologist to choose the appropriate treatment that will stop the disease and eliminate the resulting complications.