Orchitis or orchiditis is a condition of the testes involving inflammation. It can also involve swelling and frequent infection.

Symptoms

Symptom

Symptom

A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...

s of orchitis are similar to those of testicular torsion

Testicular torsion

Testicular torsion is when the spermatic cord to a testicle twists, cutting off the blood supply. The most common symptom is acute testicular pain and the most common underlying cause is a congenital malformation known as a "bell-clapper deformity". The diagnosis is often made clinically but if it...

. These can include:

• ejaculation
  Ejaculation
  Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
  
   of blood
  Blood
  Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
  
  
• hematuria
  Hematuria
  In medicine, hematuria, or haematuria, is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It may be idiopathic and/or benign, or it can be a sign that there is a kidney stone or a tumor in the urinary tract , ranging from trivial to lethal...
  
   (blood in the urine
  Urine
  Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
  
  )
• severe pain
  Pain
  Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
  
  
• visible swelling
  Swelling (medical)
  In medical parlance, swelling is the transient enlargement or protuberance in the body and may include tumors. According to cause, it may be congenital, traumatic, inflammatory, neoplastic or miscellaneous....
  
   of a testicle or testicles and often the inguinal lymph nodes on the affected side.

Causes

Orchitis can be related to epididymitis

Epididymitis

Epididymitis is a medical condition in which there is inflammation of the epididymis . This condition comprises gradual onset of testicular pain that can vary from mild to severe, and the scrotum may become red, warm and swollen...

 infection that has spread to the testicles, often caused by the sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...

s chlamydia and gonorrhea

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...

. It can also be seen during active mumps

Mumps

Mumps is a viral disease of the human species, caused by the mumps virus. Before the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide...

, particularly in adolescent boys.

Ischemic orchitis may result from damage to the blood vessels of the spermatic cord

Spermatic cord

The spermatic cord is the name given to the cord-like structure in males formed by the ductus deferens and surrounding tissue that run from the abdomen down to each testicle.-Contents of spermatic cord:...

 during inguinal herniorrhaphy, and may in the worst event lead to testicular atrophy

Testicular atrophy

Testicular atrophy is a medical condition in which the male reproductive organs diminish in size and may be accompanied by loss of function. This does not refer to temporary changes, such as those brought on by cold.Some medications can cause testicular atrophy...

.

Treatment

In most cases where orchitis is caused by epididymitis, treatment is an oral antibiotic such as cefalexin

Cefalexin

Cefalexin or more commonly cephalexin is a first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic introduced in 1967 by Eli Lilly and Company. It is an orally administered agent with a similar antimicrobial spectrum to the intravenous agents cefalotin and cefazolin...

 or ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin is a synthetic chemotherapeutic antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class.It is a second-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial. It kills bacteria by interfering with the enzymes that cause DNA to rewind after being copied, which stops synthesis of DNA and of...

 until infection clears up. For viral infections, antibiotics are not recommended. In both causes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen

Naproxen

Naproxen sodium is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for the reduction of pain, fever, inflammation and stiffness caused by conditions such as:...

 or ibuprofen

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for relief of symptoms of arthritis, fever, as an analgesic , especially where there is an inflammatory component, and dysmenorrhea....

 are recommended to relieve pain. Sometimes stronger pain medications in the opiate

Opiate

In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant.-Overview:Opiates are so named because they are constituents or derivatives of constituents found in opium, which is processed from the latex sap of the opium poppy,...

 category are called for and are frequently prescribed by experienced emergency room physicians.

External links

• Overview at Mayo Clinic
  Mayo Clinic
  Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...