Don't panic if you have chronic prostatitis

Author: Chen Gang, Chief Physician, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University

Reviewer: Zhao Shanchao, Chief Physician, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Prostatitis is a common male disease, which can be divided into type I acute bacterial prostatitis, type II chronic bacterial prostatitis, type III chronic prostatitis and type IV asymptomatic prostatitis.

Among them, type III chronic prostatitis, also known as "chronic pelvic pain syndrome", is an inflammation that lasts for a relatively long time, manifested by pain and abnormal urination. In severe cases, it can lead to male sexual dysfunction. But there is no need to worry. As long as you understand and correct the factors affecting treatment, you can achieve good results.

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1. Factors affecting the treatment of chronic prostatitis

Clinical studies have shown that there are three main factors that affect the treatment of chronic prostatitis.

1. Heavy psychological burden . Some patients are very suspicious and become nervous and depressed after being diagnosed. They do not have the confidence to overcome the disease and are worried, which is not conducive to recovery.

2. The treatment plan is unreasonable . Some patients do not receive treatment for the cause of the disease. For example, some chronic prostatitis is non-bacterial prostatitis. If the patient uses antibiotics for treatment, the effect will not be ideal.

3. Bad living habits . Some patients have bad living habits, often suffer from excessive fatigue or like to smoke and drink, which leads to poor treatment results.

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In addition, chronic prostatitis is prone to recurrence , mainly due to the following two reasons.

1. Anatomical factors : ① The prostate gland is located deep, and secretions need to enter the urethra through the prostate gland duct and then be discharged from the body. Stagnation may occur in the middle. ② Focal inflammation in the prostate gland is difficult to diagnose, and the lesions are often surrounded by glandular scars and lack blood vessels, making them difficult to treat. ③ The prostate gland and urethra are not connected and the drainage is not smooth due to inflammation, which makes it difficult for the inflammation to subside.

2. Physiological and pathological factors : ① There is a lipid membrane on the surface of the prostate, and most drugs have difficulty penetrating this membrane to enter the prostate and exert their therapeutic effects. ② The hardening of the lesion and its surroundings is not conducive to the diffusion of drugs. ③ The cause of prostatitis has not yet been fully clarified, and prevention and treatment are difficult. ④ Young men have a strong sexual desire, and the more frequent the sexual impulse, the more likely it is to cause repeated congestion of the prostate. ⑤ Unmarried young men do not have regular sex life, which can lead to difficulty in regular drainage of prostatic fluid, resulting in stagnation and inflammation.

Therefore, patients with prostatitis should maintain good living habits in daily life, eat a reasonable diet, actively cooperate with the doctor's treatment, strive to achieve ideal therapeutic effects, and reduce the possibility of recurrence.

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2. Treatment of chronic prostatitis

There are three main ways to clinically treat chronic prostatitis.

1. Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that chronic prostatitis is caused by "lower-burner dampness and heat" and "gasification disorder", and can be treated by clearing dampness and heat, promoting blood circulation and relieving stranguria, and promoting qi and blood circulation. Compared with other treatments, traditional Chinese medicine treatment mainly adjusts the patient's internal environment and relieves various symptoms. Therefore, many patients can recover to varying degrees after traditional Chinese medicine treatment. The only drawback is that traditional Chinese medicine is not effective in killing pathogenic bacteria.

2. Western medicine treatment

Western medicine treats the pathogenic bacteria of chronic prostatitis and can quickly and effectively eliminate the bacteria that cause inflammation. In addition, Western medicine can also conduct various tests and examinations, and the results are relatively intuitive, which can make both doctors and patients understand at a glance and facilitate communication between doctors and patients.

3. Physical therapy

Physical therapy (abbreviated as "physiotherapy") refers to the use of physical factors such as sound, light, electricity, magnetism, and temperature to act on the organs, tissues, and pathogenic factors of the human body, thereby regulating the body's functions and achieving the purpose of treatment and rehabilitation.

There are many physical therapy methods for chronic prostatitis, including hot water bath therapy, ultrasound therapy and laser therapy. These methods can play a positive auxiliary therapeutic role. Patients with chronic prostatitis can choose one of the appropriate methods for auxiliary treatment under the guidance of a doctor under the premise of drug treatment.

It should be noted that surgery is not recommended for patients with chronic prostatitis. Because most patients with chronic prostatitis are young and middle-aged men, surgical removal of the prostate may cause sexual dysfunction or even complete loss of function. In addition, due to prostate inflammation, the glandular tissue adheres to the surrounding tissue, which is prone to bleeding during surgery and difficult to remove completely. Instead of alleviating symptoms after surgery, it may lead to more serious consequences.

For patients with chronic prostatitis, clinical treatment usually combines traditional Chinese and Western medicine with physical therapy. This can not only significantly improve symptoms, but also increase the cure rate and reduce the recurrence rate.

3. Duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis

Chronic prostatitis is a chronic disease. It is difficult to determine the cause and it is also difficult to achieve targeted treatment, so the treatment course is relatively long.

As for the specific duration of treatment, there is no clear statement in clinical practice. Generally speaking, each patient's condition is different, and the treatment plan and course of treatment are also different. In general, a course of treatment is generally 1 to 3 months, and the specific treatment is subject to the doctor's advice.

Although the treatment process of chronic prostatitis is relatively long, patients should not be nervous. I believe that under the correct guidance of the doctor, the disease can be cured.