Due to the long and problematic course of treatment and the high probability of relapses, there are reasonable doubts whether chronic prostatitis can be cured. There is no clear answer to this question.
The disease detected in the early stages is completely cured in 90% of cases, but with the development of pathological irreversible changes, the prognosis for treatment worsens. In advanced prostatitis, a stable remission can be achieved.
What treatment is given - outpatient or inpatient?
The algorithm for the treatment of chronic prostatitis includes the appointment of physiotherapy and the constant use of drugs for 2-3 months. Inpatient treatment is prescribed for the following indications:
- An acute form of the disease, manifested by a high temperature above 38°.
- The occurrence of complications due to a serious illness.
- Lack of results from home therapy.
If the disease becomes latent, the patient is usually discharged from the hospital and further treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis. Advantage of hospitalization:
- Constant monitoring of the treating staff.
- Ability to provide emergency care and anesthesia.
- No temptation to break the recommendations regarding diet and bad habits.
- The course of therapy is constantly adjusted depending on its effectiveness.
Hospitalization has several disadvantages: the high cost of treatment (in paid clinics), the stress experienced by a person who finds himself in a hospital setting.
The ambulatory allows the patient to remain in their usual environment, engage in daily activities and work (of course, without leaving home). Another advantage of home therapy is that it is relatively inexpensive.
The decision on how the therapy will be carried out depends on the attending physician. Based on the individual indications, you can start therapy at home. In this case, the patient should be given a detailed step-by-step treatment, indicating the need for regular visits to the doctor and conducting physical procedures.
How long does it take to treat chronic prostatitis?
The duration of treatment is individual. Some patients get rid of the disease in a few months, others have to be treated for years.
Several factors affect the speed of recovery:
- Stage of the disease— chronic prostatitis in the early stages of development is often discovered accidentally, during an annual examination of the patient. At this stage, there are serious pathological changes in the body that require long-term therapy.
- The role of the patient- the desire to improve, carefully following treatment advice, giving up bad habits (smoking and alcohol), shortening the duration of therapy and improving its prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics show that 80-90% of patients who received help in the early stages of a chronic disease managed to completely get rid of the disease. After the transition from latent to acute form, with pronounced symptoms, the rate of successful therapy drops sharply to 65-70%.
The longer you wait to see a doctor, the more likely it is that conventional complex treatment will not have the desired effect and surgical intervention will be necessary.
Chronic prostatitis in some forms can develop into prostate cancer. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are a necessary condition for preventing cancer.
Is a complete cure possible?
You can completely get rid of prostatitis in the early stages of the disease. If the inflammatory process has become acute, characteristic irreversible changes in the vas deferens and tissue structure are usually observed.
After the appearance of clinical symptoms, it becomes impossible to completely cure chronic inflammation of the prostate gland. Therapy is aimed at achieving stable remission.
After relief of acute inflammation, preventive preventive measures are prescribed. If drug therapy fails, partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate gland is performed.
Over the years of research, general international recommendations for the treatment of chronic prostatitis were developed, which significantly increased the recovery rate among patients. The probability of a complete cure is in the range of 50-65%, achieving a stable remission is 65-80%, depending on the severity of the disease.
Methods of treatment of chronic inflammation of the prostate
Many articles on the Internet and medical reference books are devoted to how to treat chronic prostatitis. Most sources agree that there is no single effective means of combating the disease, complex therapy is needed, including:
- A course of medication.
- Non-drug treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- surgery.
- Massage.
A clinically proven treatment regimen for chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming several negative manifestations of the disease:
- Removal of the inflammatory process.
- Removing congestion and normalizing blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
- Elimination of the catalysts of the inflammatory process.
- Fighting the consequences of prostatitis.
- Prevention of disease recurrence.
Complex treatment of chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming all the listed negative manifestations, which is why it is more effective than monotherapy. The effectiveness of the approach largely depends on the patient's desire to recover, which is manifested in careful compliance with all the recommendations of the attending physician. Another factor contributing to the complete healing of the patient is contact with large clinics. Medical centers use modern methods for effective treatment of chronic inflammation of the prostate, which are carried out under the guidance of experienced medical personnel.
The modern standard for combating the inflammatory process is pathogenetic therapy. The essence of the principle is to develop an individual course depending on the characteristics of the patient.
How to treat with drugs
After a diagnosis of chronic prostatitis, a man will have to be patient because the drug treatment regimen involves taking drugs for a long period of time. Success in combating the disease depends on careful adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen.
The duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis varies from several months to six months. It is forbidden to stop taking medicines on your own when you feel better, as this can lead to a stable form of the disease.
The standard of treatment includes the prescription of the following drugs:
- Antispasmodics and analgesics— from the beginning and almost to the end of the treatment, the disease is accompanied by severe pain associated with swelling of the gland. If it is not possible to reduce the symptoms, additional injections with anesthesia are recommended.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs— suppositories containing a substance from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives are recommended. The use of rectal suppositories is effective due to the almost direct effect of the active components on the prostate tissue.
The phenylacetic acid derivative is absorbed into the blood through the rectum and quickly relieves the symptoms associated with the disease. Anti-inflammatory therapy includes the prescription of corticosteroids and NSAIDs. - Antiviral and antibacterial agents.Treatment standards prescribe the use of antibiotics in two cases. A course of therapy is necessary in the presence of an infectious catalyst factor that caused inflammation, as well as as a preventive measure before surgical treatment.
To increase the effectiveness of the drugs, lymphotropic therapy is performed. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes to block venous outflow and drain the bladder. An instillation (direct injection of an antibiotic into the bladder) is performed.
In the later stages of the disease, a conservative method of treatment is used. Regular use of drugs (alpha-blockers and NSAIDs) necessary to reduce the rate of prostate growth and reduce unpleasant symptoms. Simultaneously with the drug course, non-drug and physical therapy is carried out.
Non-drug therapy
Advanced world experience convincingly proves the effectiveness of the integrated approach in the treatment of chronic prostatitis. Simultaneously with taking drugs, the patient is prescribed new methods of non-drug therapy. Between them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- prostate tissue is exposed to high temperatures. The heat source is delivered to the prostate via a transrectal method. Microwave therapy helps to improve the effects of drugs and preserve the growth of the prostate.
- Shock wave therapy.The consequence of chronic prostatitis is the appearance of irregularities in the soft tissues of the gland. The seals are destroyed by the shock wave. The result of the procedure is removal of the inflammatory process and improvement of blood supply.
The use of shock wave therapy in complex treatment shortens the period of hospitalization of the patient and increases the effectiveness of taking drugs. - Laser therapy in chronic inflammation of the prostate— the effect is based on the treatment of the gland with narrowly focused rays of light. Laser treatment leads to an increase in the lumen of blood vessels, improvement of tissue metabolism and, as a result, tumor resorption. Another positive effect is the accelerated regeneration of damaged tissue.
- Ultrasound applications— the intense vibrations of the emitted waves cause tissue regeneration, improve trophic and metabolic processes. Ultrasound treatment devices are so easy to use that it is possible to purchase them for home use. The device kills parasites and has a bactericidal effect.
Methods of non-drug therapy are prescribed individually, taking into account the presence of contraindications for the patient.
Physiotherapy approach
Innovative methods for the treatment of chronic prostatitis are often combined with time-tested methods. Physiotherapy has a beneficial effect.
The purpose of the procedures serves several purposes:
- Increase blood flow.
- Establishing metabolic processes in the body.
- Reduce areas of inflammation.
- Acceleration of lymph flow to remove pathogens from the prostate gland.
- Stimulating the immune system and activating the body's own powers to fight the disease.
Physiotherapy approach is used in the largest medical centers around the world. In Israeli hospitals, after completing a course of treatment, sanatorium treatment on the shores of the Dead Sea is mandatory.
The rapid improvement of well-being is achieved by completing the following physiotherapy courses:
- Phonophoresis— the technique is reduced to the introduction of vitamins and drugs into the tissues of the skin and prostate gland through the influence of ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body on a mechanical and chemical level, and the effect of the drugs is enhanced.
- Reflexology— the term refers to a whole system of practices based on the impact on the biologically active points of the person. Other names of the technique: acupuncture, acupuncture.
During the session, the effect on the nerve endings leads to improvement of the statics of the gland, normalization of blood circulation and reduction of pain. - Vacuum processing (cans)— many experts agree that disorders in the functioning of internal organs cause pathologies of the spine. The technique is effective in combating congestion, after 1-2 sessions the functioning of the prostate gland improves significantly and urination normalizes.
- Electrical stimulators— the procedure is effective for any form of prostatitis, improves erection and activates the immune system. The use of electrostimulation lasts 10-15 days.
During the session, a source of electrical current is supplied to the prostate through the prostate gland. The waves affect the prostate, bone and muscle tissue, which stimulates their work.
Physiotherapy does not replace drug treatment during an exacerbation, but rather promotes the effectiveness of prescribed drugs, speeding up a person's recovery.
Surgery for chronic prostatitis
If the course of treatment of chronic prostatitis does not give results, a steady progression of the disease is observed and surgery is prescribed. Several methods have been developed:
- Prostatectomy.
- Resection of the prostate.
- Laser removal.
- Laparoscopy.
The choice of surgical intervention depends on several factors: the age of the patient, the invasiveness of the method, the presence of contraindications and the volume of the prostate gland.
The latest technologies for performing operations are associated with the absence of the need for dissection of the abdominal tissue. The prostate is removed through the urethral canal or several small holes in the abdominal area.
Laser removal of the prostate is widely used. The high-intensity light beam vaporizes the glandular tissue, causing the prostate to shrink in size.
The main feature of modern surgical treatment is minimal damage to the human body, which leads to a reduction in rehabilitation time and quick recovery with full restoration of all the main functions of the genitourinary system.
Due to the high risks in old age, after 60-65 years operative treatment is practically not carried out. Therapy is reduced to alleviating the symptoms of prostatitis and improving the condition and quality of life.
Massage treatment
Clinical recommendations for the treatment of prostatitis boil down to the need for digital transrectal massage of the gland. During the tactile effect on the tissue, the areas are massaged, which helps to improve blood supply and relieve pain.
The main task of the massage remains the expulsion of glandular stones containing inflammatory exudate.
Contraindications for prostate massage:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- hemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Treatment reviews show that the first prostate massage procedures are quite painful, but bring great relief. The massage is performed exclusively by a specialist. It is prescribed during the recovery period after drug treatment.
Prevention of relapses of chronic prostatitis
Modern approaches to the treatment of chronic prostatitis consist not so much in the fight against inflammation of the prostate, as in the use of effective preventive measures to prevent recurrence of the disease.
Preventing the return of prostatitis includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Diet and lifestyle adjustments. General recommendation, preparation of a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or healing table No. 5.
- Conducting anti-relapse complex therapy. The course of treatment includes drugs and procedures aimed at removing congestion in the pelvic organs, as well as strengthening the immune system. Recommended sports: yoga, exercise therapy.
The anti-relapse treatment protocol includes a regular medical check-up, mandatory clinical blood and urine tests, and a PSA test at least every 6 months.
A healthy lifestyle, regular sexual relations, giving up alcohol and smoking - all this prevents the return of prostatitis, has a beneficial effect on men's health and allows you to lead a rich and fulfilling life.