Dangers of Chronic Prostatitis

Most frequently prostatitis develops in chronic form during several years without showing itself. In some cases patient may experience severe pains, unpleasant sensations in crotch spreading to back, genitals or rectum.

Periodically is observed frequent, painful and sometimes difficult urination, slight discharge from the urethra.

Unfortunately, at this stage most males do not pay attention to these signs. How wrong they are! The danger of chronic prostatitis is its spread via urinary system which may result in development of cystitis and pyelonephritis.

Besides this,  prostatitis may result in such complications as vesiculitis (inflammation of seminal vesicles) or orchiepididymitis (inflammation of tescticles and epididymis) which may lead to male infertility.

Besides this, inflammations in prostate gland may cause adenoma or prostate cancer.

After some time prostatitis causes problems with erection. This is associated with involvement into inflammatory process of nerves responsible for erectile function which run via prostate gland.

How To Keep a Healthy Prostate

 A man should keep an active lifestyle in order to be healthy. To avoid problems with prostate a man should get sufficient physical load and live a full sexual life. When a man doesn't make sex, there increases 50 times heart attack risks in him. 

Lack of physical activity strengthens development of negative processes in prostate gland. Sedentary lifestyle dramatically slows down blood circulation in small pelvis which leads to stagnation of the circulation. This results in development of different disorders in prostate gland.

Here are good any general strengthening procedures helping to restore and strengthen work of immune system and other protective systems of the body. Outdoors walking, hydrotherapeutic procedures and cold water treatment are very healthy. Serious physical activity are contraindicated.

Sex has healthy effects on the whole male body. It was proved that making sex 2 – 3 times a week increases by 30% level of immunoglobulin A which responds for antitumor immunity. Regular sexual life prevents dark blood from stagnation in small pelvis and in prostate itself.  

Insufficient blood supply of prostate may lead to development of inflammations and hyperplastic tissue of the gland. During an orgasm vessels get widen and thus blood supply gets increased. Therefore, regular sexual life makes prostate healthy. Sex is a perfect preventive measure against prostatitis and adenoma, and besides this it greatly improves male potency.

Prostate Health Diet

Reduce consumption of fats
Best way to reduce fats and calories in your life is to consume more vegetarian products. Fruits, vegetables and products from whole grain contain many nutritional ingredients necessary for the body such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, aminoacids and vegetable fibers.  Whole grains contain more fibers and nutrients including magnesium than those processed.

Vegetarian products would greatly improve quality of your meals but the amounts of food you usually consume should be the same. You should never add fatted sauces to vegetable dishes and fruit deserts. Usage of refined fats (dairy butter) during food preparation should be minimal.

Unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated fatty acids) should necessarily be in sufficient quantities.  Polyunsaturated fatty acids are a raw material for production of prostaglandins which prevent prostate gland from inflammations. Best sources for polyunsaturated fatty acids are fat sea-fish, olive and linseed oils. Other vegetable oils besides healthy fats Omega-3 and Omega-9 contain also fatty acids Omega-6, excess of which provokes inflammations.

You should include carbohydrates in your meals: bread, porridge, flocks, rise and pasta. They also contain complex of nutrient substances and very small amount of fats. Here is important how you consume them, for example, pasta is good with tomato sauces, ketchups and vegetable sauces and not with sour cream or cheese.

It is better to consume ordinary yeasty bread and without usage of baking powders.

Protein products may be of vegetable or animal origins. Products rich in proteins are legumes, beans and pea.
 
Diary products also contain healthy nutrients, therefore men who are at risk for prostate cancer should not refuse from them. It is preferable to include in diet such healthy products as non-fat milk and yogurt along with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

It is necessary to exclude from diet products causing kidneys inflammation (spicy and salt dishes, alcohol, coffee, chocolate). This requirement is necessary to prevent adenoma of prostate gland.

Prostate Cancer Prevention

 Three main ways to maintain prostate gland healthy:
 - healthy diet
 - physical activity
 - regular examinations of prostate gland

Healthy diet may reduce risks for prostate gland diseases, especially cancer and adenoma. Some vegetative products help to prevent and control adenoma and prostate cancer. There is no need to consume these products daily but it would be good to have them as often as possible.

1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain strong antioxidant called lycopene which makes tomatoes red. Tomatoes, food made of them and other products containing lycopene reduce the risks for prostate cancer. Lycopene from food made of tomatoes (soups, sauces, ketchup) protects against cancer much better than  lycopene containing in fresh tomatoes and tomato juice.

2. Soybean products
Isoflavone found in soy helps to maintain stable rate of sex hormones testosterone and estrogen. Adenoma and cancer are stimulated by too active testosterone, thus soy products reduce risks for cancer development.

3. Green tea
Green tea contains a substance called Epigallocatechin-3-gallate similar to polyphenols found in vegetables and red wine. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is an antitumour agent which blocks fermentation necessary for tumors development.

4. Cruciferous vegetables
Vegetables of  Cruciferous family (ordinary cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cow cabbage, mustard) contain substances inhibiting action of agents causing cancerous growths.

5. Garlic
Garlic contains large amount of sulphur which increases immunity and inhibits cancerous growths because it helps to produce in the body enzymes which block growths of tumors.

Most harmful products that cause development of prostate cancer are ice cream, frozen cream, sour cream, cold rich milk.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Uncontrolled factors for benign prostatic hyperplasia development.

1) Age
Risk for development of adenoma and prostate cancer increases with age. Someone with “black humor” said that each male who lives a longer life gets diseased with prostate adenoma. Prostate cancer in older men occurs frequently too. Around 70% of men with diagnosis “prostate cancer” are over 65.

2) Ethnic group
Studies show that people with black skin are more prone to prostate diseases than representatives of other races. Moreover, black people get diseased with prostate cancer in younger age and often have its severe forms. However, representatives of yellow race rarely get diseased with prostate cancer. Representatives of Middle East Semitic group (ethnic Arabs and ethnic Jews) show the same incidence frequency as representatives of white race of Central European origin.

3) Family history
Family medical history do influence on probability of prostate adenoma appearing. Among men aged 40 - 55 with benign prostatic hyperplasia, most had inherited gene which made them predisposed to the disease. However, the gene does not make the disease inevitable, but it increases risks for it.

4) Mass of bones
Mass ratio of bone tissue also may influence on risks for prostate cancer. Intensive studies that lasted 30 years showed that in men with bigger mass ratio of bones prostate cancer occurs more frequently. However, it is not known yet the causes of this correlation.

What Differs Cancer From Adenoma

Prostate adenoma is a benign enlargement of prostate gland.

Adenoma quite slowly increases in its size, usually is located within prostatic capsule and never metastasizes.

Unlike adenoma, prostate cancer is a malignant growth.

Growth may spread beyond prostate gland damaging nearby organs such as bladder and rectum. Frequently prostate cancer metastasizes damaging different organs.

Prostate adenoma may have long-term course (several decades) and show with moderately frank symptoms even when prostate gland size is quite large.

Prostate cancer usually shows in 2 – 4 years after occurrence and if not treated leads to death during 5 – 7 years.

However, adenoma and prostate cancer may have many common symptoms, especially connected with urination disorder.

However, even digital rectal examination and ultrasound examination on the initial stages of prostate cancer development makes impossible distinguishing it from adenoma.

Sometimes PSA rise in blood may be a sign of malignant growth. However, often prostate cancer may develop without changes in PSA.

Main task of urologist who examines patient with prostate disease is to exclude prostate cancer, especially in those who are predisposed to it.

Adenoma Treatment

Two groups of adenoma treatment methods:
-conservative
- surgical

Conservative methods are used at first stages of the disease and include taking one or more medications.

These medications are alpha-adrenoblockers, which do debilitate muscular walls of different organs including urethra. They do not help to eliminate tumor but to normalize urination.

Additionally may be prescribed hormonal drugs (inhibitors, 5-alpha-reductases), phytopreparations, homeopathy which helps to stop tumor growth, and anti-inflammatory medications in case adenoma resulted in cystitis or other inflammations of urethra.

Adenoma at advanced stage can hardly be treated with conservative method and in this case surgery is performed. Traditional surgery is partial or full removal called adenectomy of prostate gland. You should know that a cut is made on the front abdominal wall, occurs blood loss, and after surgery scar is left. However, there is other operation today which is minimally invasive - it is called transurethral resection which is performed without abdominal wall cut, access occurs via urethra.

How it is made? Into irethra is inserted mini device with camera and cutting tools. Urologic surgeon watches video picture and removes parts of prostate glands tissues and burns bleeders. The only negative side of such operations is that they both require hospitalization and have relatively longlasting postoperative period.

5 Tips To Prevent Adenoma
1. Make exercises regularly. Longtime sitting leads to stagnation of blood in pelvic organs which results in adenoma development. Therefore, make it a rule to stand up each hour and have a little walk.

2. Have regular sex life. Best way to fight stagnation of blood is to make sex regularly. Sex may inhibit adenoma development or retain its progress.

3. Replace medications. There is a number of medications that may aggravate adenoma symptoms, these may be antihistaminic, diuretic or antiedematous medications (including nasal spray). Ask your doctor about medications you take and replace them with more appropriate ones.

4. Do not drink much before going to sleep. If you suffer from adenoma you should never drink liquids before sleep in order to get up to the toilet rarely.

5. Once a year make examinations. Males with increased prostate gland should once a year undergo PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test.

The Truth About Adenoma

If you are a male over 40 years and you get up each night to urinate, this may be a sign that you have problems with prostate. The thing is that at this age male prostate gland may be affected by adenoma.

Prostate gland adenoma is benign prostate enlargement when are grown tissues of this organ. Its formation and development is connected with hormonal changes in male body which occur almost in all males over 40 – 45 years. This condition is called andropause or male climax. At this age testosterone level lowers.

When should you go to the doctor?
First sign of adenoma is problem with urination. Anatomically, prostate as though grasps urethra and with enlargement it constricts urethra and puts pressure on bladder. As a result, urine stream loses its pressure, interrupts and occurs more frequently as usually (normally male urinates 5 – 8 times a day, when adenoma – 9 times and more). After urinating once, in few minutes male feels new desire to urinate.  Specific characteristics is that do appear desires to urinate at night. The sensation of urinary bladder emptying in adenome is rare thing and male usually feels that something is left in bladder.

Unfortunately, many males having adenoma symptoms think that it is connected with aging and do not go to the doctor which results in most drastic consequences. When urine outflow is permanently difficult, urinary tract becomes perfect place for infection development and do appear such diseases as cystitis, pyelonephritis, calculus in bladder.

Eventually, develops chronic kidney disease showing itself with permanent headaches, thirst, mouth dryness, weakness, spleen. Most horrible complication of adenoma is acute urinary retention and development of  kidney disease which threatens patient's life. In order to fight the disease successfully male must address to the doctor in time!

At early stages prostate may be enlarged but patient may experience no symptoms. Males over 40 years must undergo examinations which helps to detect adenoma at its early stage and prevent development of prostate cancer. Specialist you need is urologist. In order to determine adenoma stage it is necessary to make some examinations.

Males often ask if it is possible to avoid prostate digital investigation via rectum of which they are ashamed. However, it is impossible to do without it because it is most important adenoma examination and it cannot be replaced with something else. Additionally must be performed ultrasound investigation of pelvic organs. Those examinations help to find right treatment.

Risk Groups
In some males adenoma develops at early age. Males who lead a sedentary lifestyle and are engaged in intellectual pursuits are at risk.

Prostate Gland Diseases

Prostate gland (prostate) is a male muscular glandular organ. Glandular its part produces specific secretion, and muscular part provides entering of this secretion into sperm during ejaculation.

Sperm secretion is a liquid filled with proteoclastic ferments, which help to diffluence sperm, and amino acids helping to normal semens movement into vesical cervix when sperm enters vagina.

Major prostate problems:
- inflammations (prostatitis)
- benign hyperplasia of prostate gland (adenoma)
- malignant tumor of prostate gland (prostate cancer)

Symptoms of these diseases frequently are alike and in many cases these diseases show themselves at their last stages when treatment is quite difficult. Also do exist a number of pathological conditions of surrounding organs which may imitate prostate disease.

When it makes sense to worry about prostate gland condition?
- dysuric disorders (painful frequent urination at any age)
- pain syndrome (pain in crotch and rectum with radiation into testicles, penis, inner areas of hips; pains during and after ejaculation)
- sexual disorders (disorders of erectile function, lowering of sexual desire). Prostate gland is closely connected with male sexual function what determines its involvement into sexual dysfunction.  However, prostatitis in this case usually plays secondary role and not influences on sex quality.
- infertility with sperm disorders.

Males aged 45 and above should undergo examinations of prostate gland annually even if they do not complain at any urination problems.

Why it is important to know about prostate gland diseases?
First place among cancerous diseases in males occupy prostate cancer which not shows itself at early stages and this presents a grave risk for life and health of patient. However, prostate cancer at early stages may be treated.

Males may overcome prostate diseases if they were diagnosed at early stages and treated adequately.

Adenoma

Adenoma (benign enlargement of prostate gland, or more exactly, of external glands of prostate) is a hormonal disease in which occurs enlargement of prostate gland tissues which leads to urination disorder. More often with adenoma are diagnosed men over 50 years and that is why some specialists consider this disease as one of manifestations of male climax. Besides age-related changes do exist other factors contribuiting to the disease development:
1) hormonal disorders
2) some chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis
3) sedentary life-style
4) significant increase in body weight
5) environmental factor

In adenoma, testosterone (male sex hormone) provokes overgrowth of adenoid tissue cells that cover urethra wall passing through prostate gland. After some time overgrown tissue starts to push against urethra what leads to its narrowing. More longer the disease is untreated, the much stronger is push against urethra. Then start next problems with urination:
1)  frequent urination
2) interrupted  and difficult urination
3) low head of urinary flow
4) involuntary urination or acute urinary retention
5) hematuria (blood in urine)

Most severe cases are acute urinary retention and hematuria. Long course of the disease makes prostate increase and as a result urinary bladder emptying becomes impossible. In this case patients need urgent hospitalizing. Blood in urine shows damage of bladder veins resulting from pressure in it.

There are three adenoma stages. Primary stages are characterized with mild symptoms and patient may not even notice them.
1. First stage. Symptoms: frequent urination, especially at night time, increases time for urination, furine flow is weak.
2. Second stage. Symptoms: difficulty in urine drain from bladder, interrupted urination, sensation of incomplete emptying.
3. Third stage. Symptoms: urine retention or involuntary urination, intrinsic sphincter and detrusor  lose their tonus, renal failure.

Where Prostate Gland Is Located?

Prostate (Prostate Gland) is male internal generative organ which produces a secretion necessary for sperm protection.

Shape and size of prostate are different in men, and it may change with the increase of years or under influence of particular factors (for example, inflammatory process in prostate). However, even insignificant changes may lead not just to local but also to general disorders.

Major prostate functions:

• seminal fluids production
• participating in sperm ejection during intercourse
• erection
• participating in urine retention

Prostate is located below bladder and it comprises starting areas of urethra, in front of rectum and beyond pubic bones. Such location makes prostate difficult to achieve, so the only way to feel back side of prostate is digital rectal examination.

[click on the image below to see its full size]

Prostate gland has three parts: middle, left back and right back sides. It is made of smooth muscular and glandular tissues. It is surrounded by fibrous capsule which has borders made from connective tissue. Alveolar-tubular glands are joined into acini that represent a network of excretory ducts which are opened on the back side of urethra. There are left and right sperm ejaculatory ducts that run through thickness of all prostate gland.

Upper and lower arteries supply prostate gland with blood. However, low blood flow results not just in development of congestivus changes and also in onset of infection. The most common prostate disease among men of reproductive age is prostatitis. In men over age 50 most common disease is adenoma and prostate cancer.