Due to the long and problematic course of therapy and the high probability of relapses, there is reasonable doubt that 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 irreversible pathological changes develop, the prognosis for treatment worsens. Stable remission can be achieved with advanced prostatitis.
What kind of treatment is applied - outpatient or inpatient?
The treatment algorithm for chronic prostatitis involves the appointment of physiotherapy and the constant use of drugs for 2-3 months. Inpatient treatment is prescribed for the following symptoms:
- Acute form of the disease, manifested by a high temperature above 38°.
- The occurrence of complications due to serious illness.
- Lack of results from home therapy.
If the disease is latent, the patient is usually discharged from the hospital and further treatment is carried out in an outpatient setting. Advantages of hospitalization:
- Constant monitoring of treating staff.
- Emergency care and pain relief.
- There is no temptation to break the recommendations of diet and bad habits.
- The course of therapy is constantly adjusted depending on its effectiveness.
Hospitalization has a number of disadvantages: the high cost of treatment (in paid clinics), the stress experienced by a person who finds himself in a hospital setting.
The outpatient clinic allows the patient to remain in the usual environment, to do daily activities and to do business (of course, without leaving home). Another advantage of home therapy is that it is relatively inexpensive.
The decision on how to conduct therapy depends on the attending physician. Based on individual indications, you can start therapy at home. In this case, a detailed step-by-step treatment should be given to the patient, indicating the need to regularly visit the doctor and undergo 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, while others have to be treated for years.
Several factors affect the speed of recovery:
- Disease stage— in the initial stage of development, chronic prostatitis is often discovered accidentally during the annual examination of the patient. At this stage, serious pathological changes occur in the body that require long-term therapy.
- The role of the patient- the desire to get better, carefully follow treatment recommendations, give up bad habits (smoking and alcohol), shorten the duration of therapy and improve the prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics show that 80-90% of patients who received help at the initial stage of a chronic disease were able to get rid of the disease completely. After passing from the latent form to the acute form, the percentage of successful therapy with clear symptoms drops sharply to 65-70%.
The longer you wait to consult a doctor, the more likely it is that the usual complex treatment will not have the desired effect and that surgical intervention will be required.
In some forms, chronic prostatitis can turn into prostate cancer. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential for cancer prevention.
Is complete treatment possible?
You can completely get rid of prostatitis in the initial stage of the disease. If the inflammatory process is aggravated, characteristic irreversible changes in the vas deferens and tissue structure are usually observed.
After the appearance of clinical symptoms, it is not possible to fully treat chronic inflammation of the prostate gland. Therapy is aimed at achieving stable remission.
After the acute inflammation is eliminated, prophylactic preventive measures are prescribed. If drug therapy does not work, partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate gland is performed.
During the research years, general international recommendations for the treatment of chronic prostatitis were developed, which significantly increased the rate of recovery among patients. The probability of complete recovery is 50-65%, depending on the severity of the disease, achieving stable remission is 65-80%.
Methods of treatment of chronic inflammation of the prostate
Many articles on the Internet and in 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 required, including:
- Drug course.
- Non-drug treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- Surgery.
- Massage.
The clinically proven treatment regimen for chronic prostatitis is aimed at eliminating a number of negative manifestations of the disease:
- Elimination of the inflammatory process.
- Removal of congestion in the pelvic organs and normalization of blood circulation.
- Eliminating the catalysts of the inflammatory process.
- Coping with the consequences of prostatitis.
- Prevention of disease recurrence.
Complex treatment of chronic prostatitis is aimed at eliminating all the listed negative manifestations and is therefore more effective than monotherapy. The effectiveness of the treatment mainly depends on the patient's desire to recover, which is manifested by carefully following all the recommendations of the attending physician. Another factor that contributes to the complete recovery of the patient is to apply to large clinics. Modern methods of effective treatment of chronic inflammation of the prostate gland are used in medical centers, 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 prepare an individual course depending on the characteristics of the patient.
How to treat with drugs
After the diagnosis of chronic prostatitis, a man must be patient, because the drug treatment regimen involves taking drugs for a long time. Success in the fight against the disease depends on careful adherence to the established therapy schedule.
The duration of treatment of chronic prostatitis is from several months to six months. It is forbidden to stop taking the medicine when you feel well, as this can lead to a stable form of the disease.
The standard of treatment includes prescribing the following drugs:
- Antispasmodics and analgesics— from the beginning of treatment and almost to the end, the disease is accompanied by severe pain associated with swelling of the gland. If the symptoms cannot be reduced, an additional anesthetic injection is recommended.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs— the use of suppositories containing substances from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives is recommended. The use of rectal suppositories is effective due to the almost direct effect of the active components on the prostate tissue.
A derivative of phenylacetic acid is absorbed into the blood through the rectum and quickly relieves the symptoms associated with the disease. Anti-inflammatory therapy includes the appointment of corticosteroids and NSAIDs. - Antiviral and antibacterial substances.Treatment standards include the use of antibiotics in two cases. A course of therapy is required if there is an infectious catalyst factor that causes inflammation, as well as a preventive measure before surgical treatment.
Lymphotropic therapy is performed to increase the effectiveness of drugs. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes, which block the venous outflow and empty the bladder. Instillation is performed (injection of an antibiotic directly into the bladder).
In the later stages of the disease, conservative treatment is used. Regular use of drugs (alpha-blockers and NSAIDs) necessary to reduce the growth rate of the prostate and reduce unpleasant symptoms. Simultaneously with drug treatment, non-drug and physical therapy is carried out.
Non-drug treatment
Advanced world experience convincingly proves the effectiveness of an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic prostatitis. At the same time as medication, the patient is prescribed new methods of non-drug treatment. Among them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- prostate tissue is exposed to high temperature. The source of thermal energy is transrectally delivered to the prostate. Microwave therapy improves the effect of drugs and protects the growth of the prostate.
- Shock wave therapy.The result of chronic prostatitis is the appearance of disorders in the soft tissues of the gland. The seals are destroyed by the shock wave. The result of the procedure is the elimination of the inflammatory process and improvement of blood supply.
The use of shock wave therapy in complex treatment shortens the time of hospitalization of the patient and increases the effectiveness of drug administration. - 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 exchange and, as a result, tumor resorption. Another positive effect is the accelerated recovery of damaged tissue.
- Ultrasound Applications— the intensive vibration of the spreading waves leads to tissue regeneration, improvement of trophism and metabolic processes. Devices for ultrasound treatment are so easy to use that it is possible to buy them for home use. The device kills parasites and has a bactericidal effect.
Non-drug therapy methods are prescribed individually for the patient, taking into account the presence of contraindications.
Physiotherapy approach
Innovative methods of treating 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.
- 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 disease.
The physiotherapeutic approach is used in the world's largest medical centers. After completing a course of therapy in Israeli hospitals, sanatorium treatment on the shores of the Dead Sea is mandatory.
Rapid improvement of well-being is achieved by completing the following physiotherapy courses:
- Phonophoresis— the technique extends to the introduction of vitamins and drugs into the tissues of the skin and prostate gland under the influence of ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body at the mechanical and chemical level, the effect of drugs is strengthened.
- Reflexology— the term refers to a whole system of practice based on the influence on the biologically active points of a person. Other names of the technique: acupuncture, acupuncture.
During the session, the effect on the nerve endings leads to the improvement of the statics of the gland, the normalization of blood circulation, and the reduction of pain. - Vacuum treatment (cans)— many experts agree that disturbances in the work of internal organs cause pathologies of the spine. The technique is effective in combating blockage, after 1-2 sessions, the activity of the prostate gland improves significantly and urine output is normalized.
- Electrical stimulators— the procedure is effective in the treatment of 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 delivered 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 exacerbation, on the contrary, it increases the effectiveness of prescribed drugs by accelerating the person's recovery.
Surgery for chronic prostatitis
If the course of treatment of chronic prostatitis does not give results, continuous progression of the disease is observed and surgical intervention 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. The prostate is removed through the urethral canal or several small holes in the abdomen.
Laser removal of the prostate is widely used. A high-intensity light beam vaporizes the glandular tissue, which causes 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 the rehabilitation period and rapid recovery with full restoration of all the main functions of the genitourinary system.
Due to high risks in old age, surgical treatment is practically not performed after 60-65 years. Therapy is reduced to relieve the symptoms of prostatitis and improve the conditions and quality of life.
Massage treatment
Clinical recommendations for the treatment of prostatitis need digital transrectal massage of the gland. During the impact of touching the tissue, the areas are massaged, which helps to improve blood supply and relieve pain.
The main task of massage is to squeeze gland stones, which are inflammatory exudate.
Contraindications to prostate massage:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Treatment reviews show that the first prostate massage procedures are quite painful, but bring great relief. Massage is performed only by a specialist. The drug is prescribed during the recovery period after treatment.
Prevention of relapses of chronic prostatitis
Modern approaches to the treatment of chronic prostatitis consist not only of fighting inflammation of the prostate, but also of effective preventive measures to prevent recurrence of the disease.
Prevention of recurrence of prostatitis includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Adjustments in diet and lifestyle. A general recommendation is to prepare a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or treatment chart number 5.
- Conducting complex anti-relapse 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 regular examination by a doctor, mandatory clinical blood and urine tests and PSA tests at least every 6 months.
A healthy lifestyle, regular sex, abstinence from alcohol and smoking - all this prevents the return of prostatitis, has a beneficial effect on men's health and allows you to live a rich and fulfilling life.