About Prostatitis

The prostate gland is a small donut shaped gland that is located at the bottom of a man’s bladder, situated halfway between the rectum and the base of the penis. This little gland circles the urethra, which is the tube that carried urine out of the bladder and through the penis. The prostate gland performs a vital role in sexual reproduction, producing most of the fluid found in semen.

Along with benign prostate hypertrophy (an enlarged prostate) and prostate cancer, prostatitis is another common condition the affects the prostate gland. Prostatitis is infection of the prostate that can come about because of the overgrowth of bacteria such as e-coli that can happen because of a urinary tract infection. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is much rarer in men than it is women but can happen when the prostate becomes enlarged slowing the flow of urine or when kidney stones develop.  UTI’s have a much better chance of happening as men age.

The two type of prostate infection:

Acute Prostatitis: This type of prostate infection develops suddenly and brings on the following symptoms.

• Chills and fevers
• The strong urge to urinate
• Frequent trips to the toilet, in which only a small amount of urine comes out
• Low back and abdominal pain
• Occasional blood in the urine
• A pain and burning sensation when urinating or ejaculating

Chronic Prostatitis: This milder form of prostate infection with much milder symptoms than the acute type. A person suffering from it will not usually experience chills or fevers.  Both chronic and acute prostatitis  do present pain in the pelvis and perineum.

Treating Prostatitis

Prostatitis is usually treated on an outpatient basis with the use of antibiotics. Prostate infections tend to respond well to antibiotics making them the first line of defense against both types of prostatitis. A doctor will usually determine which antibiotic will work best for each individual  after a simple urine test. Long term antibiotic therapy may be needed if infection occurs again.