CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

Prosatitis is caused by bacteria, the most common of which is Escherichia coli, or E. coli. Factors that increase a man’s risk for developing prostatitis include:

• Poor hygiene of an uncircumcised penis;

• Diabetes mellitus;

• Recent treatment during which a catheter was inserted;

• Sexual activity with more than one sexual partner; and

• Sexual activity with a woman wearing a diaphragm.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis may include one or more of the following:

• Chills;

• Fever;

• Frequent, urgent urination;

• Low back pain;

• Pain on the underside of the penis or scrotum;

• Painful urination;

• Blood or pus in the urine;

• Groin pain; and

• Painful ejaculation.

Symptoms of chronic prostatitis are slower to develop than acute symptoms and include:

• Painful ejaculation;

• Slight fever;

• Excessive urination during the night;

• Prostate pain;

• Pain or burning sensation when urinating;

• Difficulty starting or continuing to urinate, or diminished urine flow;

• Occasional blood in semen or urine;

• Mild lower back pain;

• Pelvic discomfort; and

• Frequent, urgent urination.

DIAGNOSIS

Men with these symptoms must submit a prostate-specific urine sample for chemical or microscopic analysis. This sample is taken by halting the urine stream and massaging the prostate to combine prostatic fluid with the remaining urine.

TREATMENT APPROACH

If tests reveal that a man has acute prostatitis, he will be treated with a 10- to 14-day course of antibiotics. The most common antibiotics for prostate infection include:

• Fluorquinolones;

• Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole; and

• Doxycycline.

Antibiotics are also the first line of treatment for chronic prostatitis. In most cases, men must take a drug for at least 4 to 12 weeks to kill all bacteria.

Surgery may be especially warranted in men with small calculi, or stones, in the prostate. The most frequently recommended surgery is transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP.