Sudden pain during urination or the inability to drain all of your urine, accompanied by chills and fever, are symptoms of acute prostatitis in men.
Acute prostatitis can happen at age, but it’s most commonly found in men under 50. Chronic prostatitis (duration longer than one year) occurs more frequently in men over 50. You don’t need to feel alone. A NIH report states that “Prostatitis is one of the most common diseases seen in urology practices in the United States, accounting for nearly 2 million outpatient visits per year.”
Prostatitis causes
Medical professionals don’t know the exact cause of chronic prostatitis, but it has been related to chemicals in the urine, uric acid in the prostate and nerve damage. Acute prostatitis is caused by a bacterial infection, such as Escherichia coli.
Acute vs chronic prostatitis
Acute prostatitis symptoms are painful and you notice chills, back or abdominal pain, fever and fatigue. You have a weak stream of urine. Along with these signs of infection, you wake at night to urinate. Myalgia, or muscle pain, can be present.
Burning, fullness in your bladder, pubic area pain and uneven flow of urine all point to chronic prostatitis. Pain on ejaculation may be noticed.
Treatments
Health care providers can use diagnostic tests to determine your illness. Normally, these include urine and blood tests. A CT scan might be ordered to fully understand your infection. Once the diagnosis is made treatments include:
- Antibiotics (up to 12 weeks)
- IV antibiotics (severe case)
- Painkillers
- Anti-inflammatory agents
- Increased water consumption
- Anti-Anxiety medication
- Muscle relaxer
- Prostatic massage to drain fluids
- Warm baths
Lower your risk of having prostatitis with basic groin cleanliness, daily exercise and water consumption. Never put off seeing your health care provider if you have these symptoms.
