Three common prostate diseases in men and self-identification and causes of chronic prostatitis

Many men pay close attention to diseases of the reproductive organs such as the penis, testicles, and scrotum, but often lack understanding of or neglect the prostate and its related diseases. Prostate diseases can cause significant damage to men's health, especially among middle-aged and older men, where the incidence of prostate diseases is quite high. Common prostate diseases mainly include the following three: (1) Prostatitis: divided into acute and chronic types. Any condition causing prostate congestion, such as excessive alcohol consumption, frequent sexual activity, or exposure to cold, can induce prostatitis. The main infection is retrograde infection via the urethra. Escherichia coli in the female vagina can grow in the male urethra after intercourse, and the infected urine can then travel retrogradely through the prostatic ducts to the prostate. Bacteria can also invade the prostate through the bloodstream and lymphatic system, causing inflammation. ① Acute prostatitis is more common in young adults, with a rapid onset, including fever, nausea, vomiting, and systemic toxicity symptoms; dysuria, urgency, frequency, and dribbling; occasional hematuria, and in severe cases, urinary retention; a feeling of heaviness and pain in the perineum and rectum, especially during defecation, radiating to the suprapubic region and penis; lower abdominal pain and sexual dysfunction are also common. ② Chronic prostatitis is often a prolonged process resulting from untimely or incomplete treatment of the acute phase, with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections, and is more common in middle-aged and elderly men. Symptoms vary. Some may be asymptomatic; others may experience dysuria, urgency, frequency, and a feeling of incomplete urination; perineal and lumbosacral pain, decreased libido, premature ejaculation, and nocturnal emission. After being diagnosed with prostatitis, in addition to seeking timely medical attention and using antibiotics, it is also important to drink plenty of water, soften stools, take warm sitz baths, abstain from alcohol and caffeine, avoid sexual activity, and alleviate psychological stress. (2) Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): Also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, it is a common disease in middle-aged and elderly men, characterized primarily by difficulty urinating. It usually begins around age 50, with symptoms appearing after age 55-60. The main symptoms include: ① Urinary frequency: Increased frequency of urination, but small amounts each time; difficulty urinating, such as inability to urinate immediately, a feeling of incomplete emptying after urination, weak or intermittent urine stream; acute urinary retention, with a full bladder, severe distension and pain, and irritability. ② Hematuria: Gross hematuria or microscopic hematuria may be present. ③ Urinary tract infections and kidney damage can worsen the condition. The pain and psychological stress caused by BPH to middle-aged and elderly men are significant. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are essential. Treatment includes conservative and surgical approaches. It is also important to maintain a regular lifestyle, avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and emotional stress. (3) Prostate cancer: Approximately 75% of prostate cancer cases present with symptoms similar to those of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), primarily difficulty urinating, sometimes accompanied by hematuria and urinary tract infections. However, some patients remain asymptomatic and quiescent throughout their lives. It is often discovered during the removal of the benign prostatic hyperplasia, a condition known as latent prostate cancer. In advanced stages, anemia, sacroiliac pain radiating to the perineum or lower extremities may occur. Diagnosis relies primarily on digital rectal examination, which reveals a hard, stone-like, fixed, and poorly defined nodules on the prostate surface. Transrectal cytology or transperineal prostate biopsy yields high positive rates. CT and ultrasound imaging are valuable diagnostic tools. If necessary, cystography and intravenous urography can be performed to assess the extent of metastasis to the bladder and ureters. While there are many treatment options for prostate cancer, the prognosis is generally poor. Often, it is diagnosed at an advanced stage, making radical surgery impossible. However, recent years have seen improvements in prognosis with the adoption of a combined approach of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.

Chronic prostatitis is a common disease in men. The following conditions can lead to prostate congestion: excessive drinking, exposure to cold, excessive sexual activity, perineal injury, prostatic hyperplasia, allergic reactions, etc. Clinically, most patients with chronic prostatitis do not have an acute phase. Once they contract this disease, the symptoms are varied and changeable, making it easy to misdiagnose. If the following symptoms appear, chronic prostatitis should be considered. (1) Pain: Due to long-term stimulation of the prostate by chronic inflammation, pain can radiate to the lumbosacral region, thigh, perineum, upper part of the pubic symphysis, groin, testicle, and glans penis through nerve reflexes, and often occurs in the morning or after fatigue. (2) Abnormal urination: Mild cases may experience urinary frequency, urgency, and pain, while severe cases may experience urethral burning and difficulty urinating. Some patients have thin watery or white cloudy fluid leaking from the urethral opening when urinating or defecating in the morning. However, in some patients, due to inflammation, prostatic fluid accumulates in the prostate, causing prostate enlargement, and no fluid dripping from the urethral opening can be seen. (3) Sexual dysfunction: Chronic prostatitis often leads to sexual organ dysfunction, such as decreased libido, premature ejaculation, impotence, nocturnal emission, hematospermia, painful ejaculation, and anejaculation. Sometimes, when prostatic fluid containing bacteria or toxins forms semen, it can destroy the effective components in the semen, directly kill sperm, or cause delayed semen liquefaction, thus leading to male infertility. (4) Neurological dysfunction: Chronic prostatitis may lead to endocrine disorders, so patients often experience symptoms of neurasthenia such as lethargy, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, memory loss, and insomnia. In short, if any of the above symptoms are present, you can go to the hospital to have a digital rectal examination, or massage to extract prostatic fluid for examination, or perform bacterial culture, all of which can clarify the diagnosis.

Causes of chronic prostatitis: (1) Causes of chronic bacterial prostatitis ① Retrograde infection. If you do not pay attention to the hygiene of your external genitalia or sexual life, bacteria hidden in the vulva can travel up the urethra and enter the prostate to cause trouble. ② Internal transmission. When you have tonsillitis, boils, carbuncles, cellulitis or other bacterial infections, the bacteria in the lesion may travel long distances with the blood or lymph to the prostate. ③ Poor physical condition. The human body has always been a battlefield of "good and evil". When bacteria invade from the outside, the body's defense forces will fight against them. People who do not exercise regularly are weak and have poor resistance. They often lose in this battle of "good and evil". (2) Causes of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis ① Improper sexual life. Some married men are accustomed to regular sexual activity. If their wives are unable to have sex for an extended period due to illness or pregnancy, and the men's libido is very strong, they may experience frequent sexual urges. Some men, fearing pregnancy, may abruptly interrupt intercourse before ejaculation; some men have developed a masturbation habit; and some men indulge in excessive sexual activity or frequently immerse themselves in pornography. All of these situations can cause the prostate to be frequently congested. ② Alcohol consumption. Especially excessive drinking, or frequently consuming spicy, acidic, or other stimulating foods, can easily induce congestion in all sexual organs, including the prostate. ③ Exposure to cold and dampness. Cold and dampness are adverse stimuli for the prostate. Whenever exposed to cold and dampness, the prostate gland will sensitively contract and dilate blood vessels, leading to chronic congestion over time. It is worth mentioning that the causes of bacterial and non-bacterial prostatitis are mutually reinforcing. Bacterial invasion can lead to and aggravate prostate congestion; congestion of the prostate promotes bacterial invasion and reproduction. Therefore, both of these causes should not be underestimated in preventing chronic prostatitis. Prevention should begin with daily life.