Prostatitis a blanket term describing a number of prostate conditions. With advances in health care comes ever increasing life spans.

While this is undoubtedly a good thing, having a large population of people of advanced age means that diseases that were once rarely seen are becoming more prevalent. One of these diseases is prostate cancer.

The early symptoms of prostate cancer are typically due to restrictions in the urethra that occur because prostate cancer enlarges the prostate. Therefore, any hint of prostate enlargement should be investigated. Fortunately, most prostate enlargements are not caused by prostatic cancer.

Prostatitis – Important Information

Other sources of prostate enlargement are normal enlargement of the prostate as a natural part of aging. Another cause, more common in younger men, is prostatitis.  Prostatitis is a catch all term that stands for a diverse number of prostate enlargements not related to aging or prostate cancer.

Acute bacterial prostatitis is the least common form of the disease but it is very easy to diagnose and treat. The symptoms of this condition include fever, back pain, and frequent urination. The treatment for acute bacterial prostatitis is as simple as administering a round of antibiotics.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis has the same symptom suite as acute prostatitis, but the causes typically involved defects that provide a natural harbor for bacterial infection.

Prostatitis – Treatment Options

Treatment by antibiotics is not usually effective since it does not cure the underlying defect. Surgery or ultrasonic treatments are usually necessary to first remove the defects, and then antibiotics can clear up the residual bacteria.

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland that does not cause any pain or discomfort. It is usually only detected during prostate examinations. This form of prostatitis generally causes no problems and does not require treatment of any kind.

Prostate Infection

Prostate infection can vary depending on the type of bacteria that is infested in the human body. One of the most chronic types of infection that is critical to a man’s prostate is the acute bacterial prostatitis that is usually found in the intestinal area.

Once the infection spreads to the bladder or the urethra of the male, it can cause more damage to the man’s prostate. A simply injury caused by bike or horseback riding can also cause an infection in the urinary tract, affecting the prostate area as well.

Prostate infection may also involve non bacterial prostatitis through a condition known as interstitial cystitis. Therefore it is so important to have regular health checks such as a prostate self exam. Men over 50 are recommended to have this on a yearly basis.

Clearly, enlargement of the prostate should always be taken seriously. Any symptoms should be reported to your doctor so that further tests can be run. Fortunately, most enlarged prostates are caused by non cancerous prostatitis.