Prostate Gland Infection

The prostate gland and the urinary bladder in men lie close to each other. The gland lies just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube that drains the bladder. This proximity allows bacteria from your urine to enter the prostate through the urethra. The bacteria can then multiply and cause bacterial prostatitis or prostate infections. An enlarged prostate gland can be a cause of prostatitis as it prevents the proper flow of urine.

Symptoms

Prostatitis typically occurs when you are between the ages of 30-50 but can occur when you are older. The symptoms are usually severe and sudden, and can include the following:

Frequent urination, especially at night
Painful urination
Weak flow of urine
Muscle and joint pain
Pain between the penis and the rectum
Pain during sex
Fever and chills
Lower back pain

Types of Prostatitis

1. Acute Bacterial Prostatitis

This condition develops suddenly with severe symptoms and is caused due to a bacterial infection of the prostate. You need to seek urgent medical attention in case of any symptoms. Your doctor can prescribe medications that can cure the problem.

2. Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis

This is a chronic but rare condition that develops gradually and is caused by a bacterial infection of the urinary tract. You doctor will advise you to take antibiotics for a long time for the situation to improve. However, this infection may recur again and is normally difficult to treat.

3. Chronic Abacterial Prostatitis

This condition is also known as Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS). You may have no infection but have extensive pain in the pelvic region for many months. This situation also develops gradually and is hard to treat. It mostly requires a combination of treatment methods.

4. Prostatodynia (pain in the prostate gland)

In this type of inflammation of the prostate, bacteria is again not the cause as in case of CPPS. It is a very painful condition, in which the symptoms go away from your body only to recur again without warning. The urine and the fluid from the prostate usually don’t reveal any known infecting agent. Doctors may prescribe you antibiotics and certain other drugs that relax the muscles of the prostate but the success rate is generally very low.

Long Term Effects

Acute bacterial prostatitis can result in the spread of bacteria into your blood stream, which can in turn result in septic shock. Septic shock is dangerously low blood pressure that occurs as a result of full-body infection. Puss or abscess can also form in your prostate as a long-term result of infection.