Due to the protracted and problematic treatment process and the high probability of relapses, there is reasonable doubt as to whether chronic prostatitis can be cured. There is no clear answer to this question.
The disease detected in the early stage is completely cured in 90% of cases, but with the development of pathological irreversible changes, the prognosis of the treatment worsens. In case of advanced prostatitis, a stable remission can be achieved.
What kind of treatment is used - outpatient or inpatient?
The treatment algorithm for chronic prostatitis includes the appointment of physiotherapy and the continuous use of drugs for 2-3 months. Inpatient treatment is prescribed for the following indications:
- The acute form of the disease, which is manifested by a high temperature above 38 °.
- Occurrence of complications due to serious illness.
- Lack of home therapy results.
If the disease becomes latent, the patient is usually discharged from the hospital and further treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis. Advantages of hospital treatment:
- Continuous control of the operating personnel.
- Possibility of emergency care and pain relief.
- There is no temptation to break the recommendations for diet and bad habits.
- The course of therapy is constantly modified depending on its effectiveness.
Hospitalization has several disadvantages: the high cost of treatment (at paid clinics), the stress experienced by a man living in hospital conditions.
The outpatient appointment allows the patient not to be separated from his usual environment, not to participate in everyday activities, to do work (without leaving home, of course). Another advantage of home therapy is that it is relatively inexpensive.
The method of carrying out the therapy depends on the attending physician. Based on individual indications, you can also start the 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 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.
Many factors affect the speed of healing:
- Disease stage— chronic prostatitis is often discovered accidentally during the patient's annual examination in the early stages of development. At this stage, there are serious pathological changes in the body that require long-term therapy.
- The role of the patient- the desire to get better, to carefully follow the treatment advice, to give up bad habits (smoking and alcohol), to shorten the duration of the therapy and to improve the prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics show 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 the latent form to the acute form, with pronounced symptoms, the percentage of successful therapy drops sharply to 65-70%.
The longer you wait to see a doctor, the more likely it is that traditional complex treatment will not have the desired effect and surgical intervention will be required.
Some forms of chronic prostatitis can develop into prostate cancer. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential for cancer prevention.
Is a full recovery 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 can usually be observed.
After the appearance of clinical symptoms, it becomes impossible to fully cure chronic inflammation of the prostate. The goal of therapy is to achieve stable remission.
After the acute inflammation subsides, preventive measures are prescribed. If drug treatment does not bring results, partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate is performed.
During the years of research, general international recommendations for the treatment of chronic prostatitis were developed, which significantly increased the recovery rate of patients. The probability of complete recovery is 50-65%, the achievement of stable remission is 65-80%, depending on the severity of the disease.
Treatment methods for chronic inflammation of the prostate
There are many articles on the Internet and in medical manuals dealing with the treatment of chronic prostatitis. Most sources agree that there is no single effective drug to combat the disease; complex therapy is required, including:
- Drug treatment.
- It is not a drug treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- Surgery.
- Massage.
The clinically proven treatment regimen for chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming the many negative manifestations of the disease:
- Removal of the inflammatory process.
- Elimination of congestion and normalization of blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
- Eliminating the catalysts of the inflammatory process.
- Overcoming the consequences of prostatitis.
- Prevention of recurrence of the disease.
The complex treatment of chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming all the listed negative manifestations, and is therefore more effective than monotherapy. The effectiveness of the approach largely depends on the patient's desire to heal, which is manifested in careful compliance with all the recommendations of the attending physician. Another factor that contributes to the complete recovery of the patient is contact with large clinics. Medical centers use modern methods for the 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 create an individual course depending on the patient's characteristics.
How to treat with drugs
After the diagnosis of chronic prostatitis, a man must be patient, as the medication regimen involves taking drugs for a long time. The success of the fight against the disease depends on careful adherence to the prescribed therapeutic schedule.
The duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis lasts from several months to six months. It is forbidden to stop taking the medicine on your own if you feel better, because this can lead to a stable form of the disease.
The standard of treatment includes the prescription of the following drugs:
- Antispasmodics and pain relievers— from the beginning of the treatment and almost to the end, the disease is accompanied by severe pain associated with swelling of the gland. If symptom reduction is not possible, additional anesthetic injections are recommended.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs— the use of suppositories containing substances belonging to the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives is recommended. The use of rectal suppositories is effective due to the 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.The treatment standards prescribe the use of antibiotics in two cases. In the presence of an infectious catalyst factor causing inflammation, a therapeutic course is required, as well as preventive measures before surgical treatment.
In order to increase the effectiveness of the drugs, lymphotropic therapy is performed. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes, which blocks the venous outflow and drains the bladder. An instillation is performed (a direct injection of an antibiotic into the bladder).
In the later stages of the disease, a conservative treatment method is used. Regular use of drugs (alpha-blockers and NSAIDs) to reduce the growth rate of the prostate and to reduce unpleasant symptoms. Simultaneously with drug treatment, non-drug and physical therapy are also performed.
It is not drug therapy
Advanced world experience convincingly proves the effectiveness of an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic prostatitis. At the same time as taking the drugs, the patient is prescribed new, non-drug therapy methods. Among them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- the prostate tissue is exposed to high temperatures. The source of thermal energy is delivered to the prostate using a transrectal method. Microwave therapy helps to improve the effect of drugs and preserve the growth of the prostate.
- Shock wave therapy.The consequence of chronic prostatitis is the appearance of disorders of the soft tissues of the gland. The shock wave destroys the seals. The result of the procedure is the termination of the inflammatory process and the improvement of blood supply.
The use of shock wave therapy in the complex treatment shortens the time of the patient's hospitalization and increases the efficiency of taking medicines. - Laser therapy for chronic inflammation of the prostate— the effect is based on the treatment of the gland with narrowly directed light rays. Laser treatment leads to an increase in the lumen of blood vessels, an improvement in tissue metabolism and, as a result, tumor absorption. Another positive effect is the accelerated regeneration of damaged tissues.
- Ultrasound applications— the intense vibrations of the emitted waves cause tissue regeneration, improve trophism and metabolic processes. Ultrasonic treatment devices are so easy to use that they can also be purchased for home use. The device destroys parasites and has a bactericidal effect.
Methods of non-drug therapy are prescribed individually, taking into account the presence of contraindications of the patient.
Physiotherapy approach
Innovative methods of treating chronic prostatitis are often combined with well-established methods. Physiotherapy has a beneficial effect.
The purpose of the procedures is to serve several purposes:
- Increase blood flow.
- Creation of metabolic processes in the body.
- Reduce areas of inflammation.
- Accelerating lymph flow to remove pathogens from the prostate gland.
- It stimulates the immune system and activates the body's own forces to fight the disease.
The physiotherapy approach is used in the world's largest medical centers. After completing a therapeutic course in Israeli hospitals, sanatorium treatment on the shores of the Dead Sea is mandatory.
A rapid improvement in well-being is achieved by completing the following physiotherapy courses:
- Phonophoresis- the technique consists in introducing vitamins and medicines into the tissues of the skin and prostate using ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body on a mechanical and chemical level, and the effect of medicines increases.
- Reflexology— the term refers to the whole system of exercises based on the effect on human biologically active points. Other names of the technique: acupuncture, acupuncture.
During the session, the effect on the nerve endings improves the statics of the gland, normalizes blood circulation and reduces 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 overcoming congestion, after 1-2 sessions the functioning of the prostate noticeably improves, and urination normalizes.
- Electrical stimulators– the procedure is effective in the treatment of any form of prostatitis, improves erection and activates the immune system. The application of electrical stimulation lasts 10-15 days.
During the session, the prostate is supplied with an electrical current source through the prostate gland. The waves affect the prostate, bones and muscle tissue, which stimulates their work.
Physiotherapy does not replace medication during an exacerbation, but promotes the effectiveness of prescribed medications, speeding up the man's recovery.
Surgery for chronic prostatitis
If the process of treating chronic prostatitis does not bring results, continuous progression of the disease is observed and surgery is prescribed. Several methods have been developed:
- Prostate removal.
- 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.
The latest technologies for performing operations are associated with the absence of dissection of abdominal tissues. The prostate is removed through the urethral canal or through 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 damage to the human body, which leads to a reduction in rehabilitation time and rapid recovery with full restoration of all basic functions of the urogenital system.
Due to the high risks in old age, after the age of 60-65, surgical treatment is practically not performed. Therapy is limited to relieving symptoms of prostatitis and improving conditions and quality of life.
Massage treatment
Clinical recommendations for the treatment of prostatitis lead to the need for digital transrectal massage of the gland. During the tactile effect on the tissue, the areas are massaged, which improves blood supply and relieves pain.
The main task of the massage is still to squeeze out gland stones containing inflammatory secretions.
Prostate massage contraindications:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Reviews about the treatment 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 following drug treatment.
Prevention of relapse of chronic prostatitis
Modern approaches to the treatment of chronic prostatitis are not so much in the fight against prostatitis, but in the use of effective preventive measures to prevent relapse of the disease.
Prevention of recurrence of prostatitis includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Adjustments in diet and lifestyle. General recommendation, preparation of a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or treatment table No. 5.
- Implementation of complex anti-relapse therapy. Treatment includes medications and procedures aimed at eliminating congestion in the pelvic organs and strengthening the immune system. Recommended sports: yoga, exercise therapy.
The anti-relapse treatment protocol includes a regular medical examination, 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 enables a rich and full life.