What is Prostatitis, chronic?

Prostatitis, chronic

What is prostatitis?

Prostatitis means inflammation of the prostate gland.

Only men have a prostate. It is a small, solid

gland
A gland is any group of cells in the body that makes and releases something for use by another part of the body. For example, the thyroid gland makes a hormone called thyroxine. This acts on receptors within cells. By acting on the receptors it gives the cells a message to speed up their metabolism and work harder.

gland about the size of a walnut. It sits at the base of the

bladder
Your bladder is the hollow organ at the top of your pelvis that stores urine. It is similar to a balloon, only with stronger walls. It fills up with urine until you go to the bathroom.

bladder. The main job of the prostate is to help make the milky fluid (

semen
Semen is the whitish fluid that is released through the penis during orgasm. Semen is made up of millions of tiny sperm floating in fluid. Sperm are the part of the semen that can join with a woman's eggs to make her pregnant. Sperm are made in the testicles, and travel through tubes (called the vas deferens) to get to the penis. Along the way, the sperm are joined by fluid that is released from the prostate and seminal vesicles. This fluid helps the sperm to travel and provides them with nutrients.

semen) that comes out of your penis when you ejaculate. The fluid from your prostate helps keep your sperm healthy and helps them to swim.

Men's prostate glands are underneath their bladders.

If you have have prostatitis, you get pain in your pelvis (the area between your hip bones) or around your genitals. The word chronic means that the condition lasts a long time. Your doctor may say you have chronic prostatitis if you've had symptoms for at least six months.

Although prostatitis means an inflamed prostate, some doctors think that the pain may not be caused by the prostate. They think it might come from something else, such as tension in the muscles around your bladder. Because of this uncertainty, doctors sometimes use the term chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Prostatitis is different to an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH). Lots of men get an enlarged prostate as they get older, but it doesn't usually cause pain.

Prostatitis is common but there hasn't been much research to help doctors recognize and treat it. Doctors still don't understand this condition very well.

There are two main types of prostatitis. In one type you have an

infection
You get an infection when viruses, bacteria, fungi or other tiny organisms get into your body. These bugs are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. For example, an infection in your airways causes the common cold. And an infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.

infection in your urine or the fluid from your prostate. In the other type there are no obvious signs of infection. Symptoms for both types are similar. It's much more common to have chronic prostatitis without signs of an infection.

Prostatitis caused by an infection

Researchers think that about 1 in 10 men with prostatitis have an infection.

Source:
McNaughton-Collins M, MacDonald R, Wilt T.
Diagnosis and treatment of chronic abacterial prostatitis: a systematic review.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 367-381.

¹ But it's difficult to be sure of the numbers. You may hear this type of prostatitis called bacterial prostatitis. If you have this type of prostatitis, tests will show that there are

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

bacteria in your urine or in the fluid from your prostate gland. You're also likely to have a high temperature and chills.

Prostatitis not caused by an infection

You may have tests to check for bacteria in your urine or in the fluid from your prostate. For many men, these tests will be negative. Doctors have started to call this type of prostatitis chronic pelvic pain syndrome because the main problem may not be to do with the prostate gland at all. You might also hear this type of prostatitis called non-bacterial prostatitis or abacterial prostatitis.

What causes it?

Researchers aren't sure what causes prostatitis. They are looking at:

Source:
Vastag B.
Prostate disease begs understanding.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001; 286: 406-408.

Unusual infections caused by bacteria or other germs. These may be missed by the usual tests for infection
Problems with the immune system. Prostatitis may be caused by a problem with your immune system
Other muscles or organs in the pelvis. Some researchers think the symptoms of prostatitis are caused by tense muscles in your pelvis.

Sources for the information on this page:

McNaughton-Collins M, MacDonald R, Wilt T.Diagnosis and treatment of chronic abacterial prostatitis: a systematic review.Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000; 133: 367-381.

Vastag B.Prostate disease begs understanding.Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001; 286: 406-408.

This information was last updated on May 08, 2009

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