Prostatitis (infection of the prostate gland)

Prostatitis is the term used to define inflammation of the prostate gland. It is a generalized term that describes the four types of prostatitis; acute bacterial, chronic bacterial, chronic without infection and asymptotic inflammatory.

Acute prostatitis causes a prostate infection that developed due to the same bacteria that causes infections in the bladder. The symptoms include fever, shakes and chills. The patient feels the need to frequently urinate and urination is painful.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is less common and caused by a bacterial infection. There are typically no symptoms and when any do present, it is often mistaken for a bladder infection. When no infection is present, the condition is referred to as pelvic pain syndrome. Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis never shows symptoms and the cause is not clear.

Prostatitis is diagnosed by physical exam and medical history research. Lab tests are done to get tangible evidence of the infection and imaging studies can also be helpful in diagnosis. The treatment depends on the type of prostatitis is present in the patient. For most patients however, oral antibiotics are the chosen method of treatment. If it is asymptomatic, treatment is not necessary, although using NSAID drugs to help with the inflammation is recommended.