Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 of the prostate

Prostate

The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....

 gland, in men. A prostatitis diagnosis is assigned at 8% of all urologist and 1% of all primary care physician visits in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Classification

The term prostatitis refers, in its strictest sense, to histological (microscopic) inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 of the tissue of the prostate

Prostate

The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....

 gland. Like all forms of inflammation, it can be associated with an appropriate response of the body to an infection, but it also occurs in the absence of infection.

in 1999, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) devised a new classification system.

Category	Pain?	Bacteria?	WBCs?	NIDDK (Current)	Description	Meares/Stamey (Old)
I	yes	yes	yes	Acute prostatitis Acute prostatitis Acute prostatitis is a serious bacterial infection of the prostate gland. This infection is a medical emergency. It should be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis such as chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome ....	Acute prostatitis is a bacterial infection of the prostate gland that requires urgent medical treatment.	Acute bacterial prostatitis
II	±	yes	yes	Chronic bacterial prostatitis Chronic bacterial prostatitis Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a bacterial infection of the prostate gland. It should be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis such as acute bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome .-Signs and symptoms:...	Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a relatively rare condition that usually presents as intermittent urinary tract infection Urinary tract infection A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine. The main causal agent is Escherichia coli... s.	Chronic bacterial prostatitis
IIIa	yes	no	yes	Inflammatory CP/CPPS	Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis or chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a pelvic pain condition in men, and should be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis such as chronic bacterial prostatitis and acute bacterial prostatitis... , accounting for 90%-95% of prostatitis diagnoses, used to be known as chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.	Nonbacterial prostatitis
IIIb	yes	no	no	Noninflammatory CP/CPPS		Prostatodynia
IV	no	no	yes	Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is a symptomless condition of the prostate gland. It should be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis such as chronic bacterial prostatitis, acute bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome ....	Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis patients have no history of genitourinary pain complaints, but leukocytosis Leukocytosis Leukocytosis is a raised white blood cell count above the normal range in the blood. It is frequently a sign of an inflammatory response, most commonly the result of infection, and is observed in certain parasitic infections...  is noted, usually during evaluation for other conditions. Between 6-19% of men have pus cells in their semen but no symptoms.	(none)

In 1968, Meares and Stamey determined a classification technique based upon the culturing of bacteria. This classification is no longer used.

The conditions are distinguished by the different presentation of pain, white blood cell

White blood cell

White blood cells, or leukocytes , are cells of the immune system involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials. Five different and diverse types of leukocytes exist, but they are all produced and derived from a multipotent cell in the bone marrow known as a...

s (WBCs) in the urine, duration of symptoms and bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 cultured

Microbiological culture

A microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture media under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are used to determine the type of organism, its abundance in the sample being tested,...

 from the urine. To help express prostatic secretions that may contain WBCs and bacteria, prostate massage

Prostate massage

Prostate massage is the massage or stimulation of the male prostate gland for sexual stimulation or medical purposes.The prostate takes part in the sexual response cycle, and is essential for ejaculation...

 is sometimes used.

See also

• Interstitial cystitis
  Interstitial cystitis
  Interstitial cystitis or bladder pain syndrome is a chronic, oftentimes severely debilitating disease of the urinary bladder...
  
   — a related disease.
• Granulomatous prostatitis
  Granulomatous prostatitis
  Granulomatous prostatitis is an uncommon disease of the prostate, an exocrine gland of the male reproductive system. It is a form of prostatitis, i.e. inflammation of the prostate, resulting from infection , the BCG therapy, malacoplakia or systemic granulomatous diseases which involve the prostate....
  
  .

External links

• Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Society — Useful compendium of topics on this disorder