Due to the protracted and problematic course of therapy, and the high likelihood of relapses, there is a reasonable doubt as to 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 as pathological irreversible changes develop, the prognosis for treatment becomes worse. With advanced prostatitis, stable remission can be achieved.
What treatment is used - outpatient or inpatient?
The treatment algorithm for chronic prostatitis involves the appointment of physiotherapy and constant use of medications 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 severe disease.
- Lack of results from home therapy.
If the disease becomes latent, the patient is usually discharged from the hospital, and further treatment takes place on an outpatient basis. Advantage of hospitalization:
- Constant monitoring of the treating staff.
- Possibility of providing emergency care and pain relief.
- No temptation to violate 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 man who finds himself in a hospital setting.
The outpatient clinic allows the patient not to break away from his usual environment, engage in everyday activities, and conduct work (of course, without leaving home). Another advantage of home therapy is that it is relatively inexpensive.
The decision on how therapy will be carried out depends on the attending physician. Based on individual indications, you can start therapy at home. In this case, the patient should be given detailed step-by-step treatment, indicating the need for regular visits to the doctor and undergoing 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 influence the speed of recovery:
- Disease stage— chronic prostatitis in the early stages of development is often discovered by chance, during an annual examination of the patient. At this stage, there are serious pathological changes in the body that require long-term therapy.
- Patient's role- the desire to get better, careful adherence to treatment advice, giving up bad habits (smoking and alcohol), shorten the duration of therapy and improve its prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics indicate that 80-90% of patients who received help in the early stages of a chronic disease were able to completely get rid of the disease. After the transition from latent to acute form, with pronounced symptoms, the percentage of successful therapy is sharply reduced 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 required.
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 in the structure of tissues are usually observed.
Once clinical symptoms appear, it becomes impossible to completely cure chronic inflammation of the prostate gland. Therapy is aimed at achieving stable remission.
After the acute inflammation is relieved, preventive preventive measures are prescribed. If drug therapy does not produce results, 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 have been developed, which have significantly increased the recovery rate among patients. The probability of complete healing is in the range of 50-65%, achieving stable remission is 65-80%, depending on the severity of the disease.
Treatment methods for 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 remedy to combat the disease; complex therapy is required, including:
- A course of drugs.
- Non-drug treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- Surgery.
- Massage.
A clinically proven treatment regimen for chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming several negative manifestations of the disease:
- Removing the inflammatory process.
- Elimination of congestion and normalization of blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
- Elimination of catalysts of the inflammatory process.
- Fighting the consequences of prostatitis.
- Preventing the recurrence of the disease.
Complex treatment of chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming all of the listed negative manifestations, and is therefore 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 contacting large clinics. Medical centers use modern methods of 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 medications
After diagnosing chronic prostatitis, a man will need to be patient, since the medication treatment regimen involves taking the drugs over a long period of time. Success in the fight against the disease depends on careful adherence to the prescribed therapy schedule.
The duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis ranges from several months to six months. It is prohibited to stop taking medications on your own when you feel better, as this can cause 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 until the end of treatment, the disease is accompanied by severe pain associated with swelling of the gland. If it is not possible to reduce symptoms, additional anesthetic injections 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 symptoms associated with the disease. Anti-inflammatory therapy includes the prescription of corticosteroids and NSAIDs. - Antiviral and antibacterial agents.Standards of treatment prescribe the use of antibiotics in two cases. A course of therapy is required 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 drugs, lymphotropic therapy is performed. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes, which blocks the venous outflow and drains the bladder. Instillation is performed (direct injection of an antibiotic into the bladder).
In the later stages of the disease, a conservative treatment method is used. Regular use of medications (alpha-blockers and NSAIDs) necessary to reduce the rate of prostate growth and reduce unpleasant symptoms. Simultaneously with the course of medications, non-drug and physical therapy are carried out.
Non-drug therapy
Advanced world experience convincingly proves the effectiveness of an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic prostatitis. Simultaneously with taking medications, the patient is prescribed new methods of non-drug therapy. Among them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- prostate tissue is exposed to high temperatures. The source of thermal energy is supplied to the prostate using the transrectal method. Microwave therapy promotes better effects of drugs and preservation of prostate growth.
- 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 consequence of the procedure is the removal of the inflammatory process and improved blood supply.
The use of shock wave therapy in complex treatment shortens the period of patient hospitalization and increases the effectiveness of taking medications. - Laser therapy for chronic inflammation of the prostate— the effect is based on the treatment of the gland with narrowly directed rays of light. Laser treatment leads to an increase in the lumen in blood vessels, improved tissue metabolism and, as a result, tumor resorption. Another positive effect is accelerated regeneration of damaged tissue.
- Ultrasound Applications— intense vibrations of emitted waves cause tissues to regenerate, improve trophism and metabolic processes. Devices for ultrasound treatment 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.
Physiotherapeutic approach
Innovative methods of treating chronic prostatitis are often combined with time-tested methods. Physiotherapy has a beneficial effect.
The purpose of procedures serves several purposes:
- Increase blood flow.
- Establish metabolic processes in the body.
- Reduce areas of inflammation.
- Accelerate lymph flow to remove pathogens from the prostate gland.
- Stimulate the immune system and activate the body’s own forces to fight the disease.
The physiotherapeutic approach is used in the largest medical centers around the world. In Israeli hospitals, after completing a course of therapy, sanatorium treatment on the shores of the Dead Sea is mandatory.
Rapid improvement in well-being is achieved by completing the following courses of physiotherapy:
- Phonophoresis— the technique boils down to the introduction of vitamins and medications into the tissues of the skin and prostate gland through the influence of ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body at the mechanical and chemical level, and the effect of medications is enhanced.
- Reflexology— the term refers to a whole system of practices based on the impact on human biologically active points. Other names for the technique: acupuncture, acupuncture.
During the session, the effect on the nerve endings leads to improved statics of the gland, normalization of blood circulation, and reduction of pain. - Vacuum treatment (cans)— many experts agree that disturbances in the functioning of internal organs cause pathologies of the spinal column. The technique is effective in combating congestion; after 1-2 sessions, the functioning of the prostate gland noticeably improves, and urination is normalized.
- Electrical stimulators— the procedure is effective in treating any form of prostatitis, improves erection, and activates the immune system. The use of electrical stimulation lasts 10-15 days.
During the session, a source of electric 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, accelerating a man’s recovery.
Surgery for chronic prostatitis
If the course of treatment for chronic prostatitis does not produce results, a steady progression of the disease is observed, and surgery is prescribed. Several methods have been developed:
- Prostatectomy.
- Prostate resection.
- 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 abdominal tissue dissection. Removal of the prostate occurs through the urethral canal or several small holes in the abdominal region.
Laser removal of the prostate is widely used. The high-intensity light beam vaporizes the glandular tissue, which leads to a decrease in the volume of the prostate.
The main feature of modern surgical treatment is minimal harm to the human body, which leads to a reduction in rehabilitation time and rapid recovery with complete restoration of all basic functions of the genitourinary system.
Due to the high risks in old age, after 60-65 years, surgical treatment is practically not performed. Therapy is reduced to relieving the symptoms of prostatitis and improving conditions 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, areas are massaged, which helps improve blood supply and relieve pain.
The main task of the massage remains squeezing out glandular stones containing inflammatory exudate.
Contraindications to prostate massage:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- Haemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Reviews of the treatment show that the first prostate massage procedures are quite painful, but bring great relief. The massage is performed exclusively by a specialist. 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, but in the use of effective preventive measures to prevent relapse of the disease.
Prevention of the return of prostatitis includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Adjustments in diet and lifestyle. General recommendation, preparing a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or treatment table No. 5.
- Carrying out anti-relapse complex therapy. The course of treatment includes drugs and procedures aimed at eliminating congestion in the pelvic organs, as well as strengthening the immune system. Recommended sports: yoga, exercise therapy.
The anti-relapse treatment protocol includes regular examination by a doctor, mandatory clinical blood and urine tests, and PSA tests 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.