What are some of the most important facts about prostatitis?
When should I call a professional?
Why do physicians have trouble diagnosing prostatitis?
How will prostatitis affect a patient?
Why are some patients not cured after they have been diagnosed with prostatitis?
Can prostatitis be passed on during sex?
Can prostatitis come back?
Should I have my prostate gland taken out if I have prostatitis?
Does prostatitis cause cancer?
What are some of the most important facts about prostatitis?
- Correct diagnosis is the key to the management of prostatitis.
- Prostatitis cannot always be cured but can be managed.
- Treatment should be followed even if symptoms have improved.
- Patients with prostatitis are not at higher risk for developing prostate cancer.
- There is no reason to discontinue normal sexual relations unless they are uncomfortable,
usually during an acute phase.
- One can live a reasonably normal life with prostatitis.
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When should I call a professional?
Contact a health care professional if you develop:
- Difficulty with urination
- Pain in the groin, testicles or back
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- An adverse reaction to an antibiotic or other medication given to treat your prostate
infection
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Why do physicians have trouble diagnosing prostatitis?
The diagnosis of the various types of prostatitis can be very difficult and sometimes
quite frustrating for the patient and his physician. The symptoms are variable and
there is much overlap in symptoms between the various types of prostatitis. Once
the patient has been treated with antibiotics, it can be difficult to differentiate
a bacterial prostatitis from a nonbacterial prostatitis.
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How will prostatitis affect a patient?
Prostatitis is an extremely frustrating disease for both the patient and his physician.
It can seriously affect a patient's quality of life. The correct diagnosis of the
prostatitis problem is difficult and it cannot always be cured. However, prostatitis
is a treatable disease and one can usually get relief from major symptoms by following
the recommended treatment.
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Why are some patients not cured after they have been diagnosed with prostatitis?
Most cases of acute bacterial prostatitis respond completely to therapy. Unfortunately,
the treatment for the chronic prostatitis syndrome is far from perfect. Patients
with chronic bacterial prostatitis can have persistence of their infectious problem
despite antibiotic use. This is because of the difficulty antibiotics having in
penetrating the prostate gland to completely kill all the bacteria deep within the
prostatic ducts. Repetitive or frequent prostate massages may be helpful in these
cases. The patients who have had chronic bacterial prostatitis and have been cured
are susceptible to recurrences and each recurrence may be more difficult to treat
than the last. Many patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
(non-bacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia) fail therapy. The physician may employ
a multi-modal approach to therapy (more than one treatment at a time). Patients
may find that they have to learn to live, and cope with their symptoms while the
inflammation hopefully "burns itself out."
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Can prostatitis be passed on during sex?
Sometimes prostatitis is caused by a sexually transmitted organism, such as chlamydia.
Most cases are caused by infections that are not sexually transmitted. These infections
can't be passed on to sexual partners.
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Can prostatitis come back?
Men who have had prostatitis once are more likely to get it again. Antibiotics may
not get into the prostate gland well. Small amounts of bacteria might "hide" in
the prostate and not be killed by the antibiotic. Once you stop taking the antibiotic,
the infection can get bad again. If this happens, you might have to take antibiotics
for a long time to prevent another infection. Prostatitis that is not caused by
infection is often chronic. If you have this kind of prostatitis, you might have
to take medicine for a long time.
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Should I have my prostate gland taken out if I have prostatitis?
Prostatitis can usually be treated with medicine. Most of the time, surgery is not
needed.
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Does prostatitis cause cancer?
Although prostatitis can cause you trouble, it does not cause cancer. There is a
blood test some doctors use for prostate cancer. It is called the prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) test. If you have prostatitis, your PSA level might go up. This does
not mean you have cancer. Your doctor will treat your prostatitis and may check
your PSA level again
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