Understanding prostatitis

The prostate gland is a walnut-sized organ located behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum in men. It's made up of smooth muscle, spongy tissue, and tiny ducts and glands. The primary function of the prostate gland is to produce semen - the fluid that transports sperm.

The prostate starts out about the size of a pea. It grows slightly during childhood and then undergoes a rapid growth spurt at puberty. By the time a man reaches age 20, his prostate is adult size. After age 45, the prostate often begins to grow again when cells in the central portion of the gland start to reproduce more rapidly than normal.

Although not technically part of your urinary system, the prostate gland is important to urinary health because the prostate surrounds the top portion of the tube that carries urine from your bladder (urethra). Infection or inflammation can cause the prostate gland to swell, squeezing the urethra and affecting your ability to urinate. That's exactly what happens in prostatitis, although the cause of the inflammation depends on the type of prostatitis you have.

Prostatitis is a general term for inflammation of the prostate gland. An inflamed prostate can cause a variety of symptoms, including a frequent and urgent need to urinate and pain or burning when urinating - often accompanied by pelvic, groin or low back pain.

Prostatitis can affect men of any age and it is estimated that 50 percent of men experience the disorder during their lifetime. Prostatitis is the most common urological disorder in men over the age of 50 and the third most common disorder in men younger than 50.

According to the National Institutes of Health, prostatitis accounts for 25% of all office visits involving the genitourinary system by young and middle-aged men. Prostatitis can appear in several forms. The acute form is the least common, but is also the most severe and may require hospitalization. It's not always possible to cure prostatitis, but in many cases symptoms can be controlled.

A diagnosis of prostatitis
Prostatitis can be difficult to diagnose, in part because its signs and symptoms often resemble those of other conditions. For example, an infection of your bladder or the tube that carries urine from your bladder (urethra) can cause an intense urge to urinate, a burning sensation and sometimes blood in your urine, similar to the signs and symptoms of prostatitis.

Acute bacterial prostatitis
Bacteria normally found in your urinary tract or large intestine cause this type of prostatitis. Most commonly, acute prostatitis originates in the prostate, but occasionally the infection spreads from a bladder or urethral infection.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis
Experts are not certain what causes a chronic bacterial infection. Sometimes bacteria remain in the prostate following acute prostatitis. Catheter tubes used to drain the urinary bladder, trauma to the urinary system or infections in other parts of the body can be the source of the bacteria.

Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis
Researchers don't know the exact cause of the two types of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, although they have a number of theories about possible triggers of the conditions, including:

• Other infectious agents. Some experts believe nonbacterial prostatitis may be caused by an something that doesn't show up in standard laboratory tests.
• Heavy lifting. Lifting heavy objects when your bladder is full may cause urine to back up into your prostate.
• Certain occupations. Occupations that subject your prostate to strong vibrations, such as driving a truck or operating heavy machinery, may play a role.
• Physical activity. Although regular exercise, especially jogging or biking, is great for the rest of your body, it may irritate your prostate gland.
• Pelvic muscle spasm. Urinating in an uncoordinated fashion with the sphincter muscle not relaxed may lead to high pressure in the prostate and subsequent symptoms.
• Structural abnormalities of the urinary tract. Narrowings (strictures) of your urethra may elevate pressure during urination and cause symptoms.