University of Virginia Health System

Prostate Health: Routine Care Recommended

Health experts do not know all of the functions of the prostate gland, yet they do know that the prostate gland plays an important role in both urinary function and sexual function.

It is common for the prostate gland to become enlarged as a man ages, and he is likely to encounter some type of prostate problem in his lifetime.

What can a man do to protect himself? He can find prostate problems early when there is a better chance of successful treatment. The American Urological Association recommends a yearly prostate gland exam by a physician for every man over age 40.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the most common prostate problem for men under 50 is prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate gland.

And for men over 50, the NIDDK says that the most common prostate problem is prostate enlargement, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

The American Foundation for Urological Disease (AFUD), states that when BPH causes bothersome symptoms or seriously affects urinary function, treatment is available to help.

Prostate problems sometimes cause symptoms such as trouble with urination, but a serious prostate problem may have no symptoms at all, states AFUD.

Older men are at risk for prostate cancer, too, but this disease is much less common than BPH.

Prostate cancer, which occurs in one out of 10 men, is usually curable when caught early. Yet this cancer, which kills 34,000 men in the US each year, produces no symptoms in its early stages. Early prostate cancer can only be detected by a prostate checkup. 

What Is Prostatitis?

Prostatitis is one of several benign (non-cancerous), inflamed conditions of the prostate gland. Acute prostatitis occurs suddenly, with sharp, severe symptoms. Chronic prostatitis develops gradually, recurs often, with the infection lasting for prolonged periods of time. Chronic prostatitis is typically difficult to treat.

According to the NIDDK, prostatitis accounts for nearly 25 percent of physician office visits by young and middle-aged men for complaints involving the genital and urinary systems. Some estimates state that at least half of all men, at some point in their lives, will develop symptoms of prostatitis.

According to AFUD, prostatitis is not contagious and is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease. Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis infection may occur when bacteria from the urethra enter the prostate from the backward flow of infected urine into the prostate ducts.

Prostatitis and other prostate problems are generally treated by a urologist, a physician who specializes in the treatment of conditions involving the urinary tract in both genders, and conditions involving the genital tract of the male reproductive system.

The following are the most common, general symptoms of prostatitis:

• urinary frequency and/or urgency
• burning or stinging sensation during urination
• painful urination
• reduced stream volume during urination
• rectal pain and/or pressure
• fever and chills (usually present with an acute infection only)
• lower back and/or pelvic pain
• discharge through the urethra during bowel movements
• sexual dysfunction and/or loss of libido (sex drive)
• throbbing sensations in the rectal and/or genital area

The following lists four types of prostatitis described by the NIDDK:

acute bacterial prostatitis
Although the least common of all types of prostatitis, acute bacterial prostatitis occurs in men at any age and often with sudden onset and severe symptoms. It is important to seek treatment promptly as this condition is easy to diagnose. Men may find urination difficult and extremely painful. Other symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis include fever, chills, lower back pain, pain in the genital (between the legs) area, urinary frequency, burning during urination, and/or urinary urgency at night, coupled with aches and pains throughout the body.

chronic bacterial prostatitis
Although fairly uncommon, chronic bacterial prostatitis is a recurrent infection of the prostate gland that is difficult to treat. Symptoms of the infection are often similar to but less intense than acute bacterial prostatitis. However, symptoms of chronic bacterial prostatitis generally last longer and often fever is absent, unlike during an acute infection.

chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is likely the least understood form of prostatitis, but the most common form of the disease. Symptoms may resolve and then reappear without warning. The infection may be considered inflammatory, in which urine, semen, and other secretions are absent of a known infecting organism but do contain infection-fighting cells, or the infection may be considered noninflammatory, in which inflammation and infection-fighting cells are both absent.

asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis
Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis may be diagnosed when infection-fighting cells are present, but common symptoms of prostatitis such as difficulty with urination, fever, and lower back and pelvic pain, are absent. A diagnosis of asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is made most often during an examination for other conditions, such as infertility or prostate cancer.

Always consult your physician for more information.