Due to the prolonged and problematic course of therapy 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 stages is completely cured in 90% of cases, but as irreversible pathological changes develop, the treatment prognosis worsens. With advanced prostatitis, a stable remission can be achieved.
What treatment is used - outpatient or inpatient?
The treatment algorithm for chronic prostatitis involves physiotherapy consultation and constant use of medications for 2-3 months. Inpatient treatment is prescribed for the following indications:
- 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 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 treatment team.
- Possibility of 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 is in a hospital environment.
The outpatient clinic allows the patient not to move away from their usual environment, carry out daily activities and carry out 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 individual indications, you can start therapy at home. In this case, the patient must receive 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 need to be treated for years.
Several factors influence the speed of recovery:
- Stage of the disease— chronic prostatitis in the early stages of development is often discovered by chance, during an 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- desire to improve, careful adherence to treatment advice, abandonment of bad habits (smoking and alcohol), shorten the duration of therapy and improve your prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics indicate that 80-90% of patients who received help in the initial stages of a chronic disease managed to completely get rid of the disease. After the transition from the latent to the 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 adequate treatment are necessary conditions for cancer prevention.
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.
Once clinical symptoms appear, it becomes impossible to completely cure chronic prostate inflammation. Therapy aims to achieve a stable remission.
After the relief of acute inflammation, preventive preventive measures are prescribed. If drug therapy does not produce results, partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate 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 cure is in the range of 50-65%, achieving stable remission is 65-80%, depending on the severity of the disease.
Treatment methods for chronic prostate inflammation
Many articles on the Internet and medical reference books are devoted to the treatment of 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 aims to overcome 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.
- Combating the consequences of prostatitis.
- Prevent the recurrence of the disease.
Complex treatment of chronic prostatitis is aimed at overcoming all listed negative manifestations and therefore is more effective than monotherapy. The effectiveness of the approach largely depends on the patient's desire for recovery, which is manifested in careful compliance with all recommendations of the attending physician. Another factor that contributes to the patient's complete cure is contact with large clinics. Medical centers use modern methods of effective treatment of chronic prostate inflammation, 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 medication
After a diagnosis of chronic prostatitis, a man will need to be patient, as the drug treatment regimen involves using the drugs for a long period of time. Success in the fight against the disease depends on careful adherence to the prescribed therapeutic regimen.
The duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis varies from several months to six months. It is forbidden to stop taking medications on your own when you feel better, as this can cause a stable form of the disease.
The standard of care includes prescribing the following medications:
- 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 symptoms cannot be reduced, additional anesthetic injections are recommended.
- Anti-inflammatory medications— 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 active components on 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 care prescribe the use of antibiotics in two cases. A course of therapy is necessary in the presence of an infectious catalytic factor that caused inflammation, as well as as a preventive measure before surgical treatment.
To increase the effectiveness of drugs, lymphotropic therapy is carried out. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes, which blocks venous flow 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 therapies and physiotherapy 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. Between them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- prostate tissue is exposed to high temperatures. The thermal energy source is delivered to the prostate by transrectal method. Microwave therapy promotes better drug effects 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 elimination of the inflammatory process and improvement of blood supply.
The use of shockwave therapy in complex treatments shortens the patient's hospital stay and increases the effectiveness of medication use. - Laser therapy for chronic prostate inflammation— the effect is based on treating the gland with narrowly directed rays of light. Laser treatment leads to an increase in the lumen of blood vessels, an improvement in tissue metabolism and, as a result, resorption of the tumor. Another positive effect is the accelerated regeneration of damaged tissues.
- Ultrasound applications— intense vibrations from the emitted waves cause tissues to regenerate, improve trophism and metabolic processes. Ultrasound treatment devices are so easy to use that you can purchase them for home use. The device kills parasites and has a bactericidal effect.
Non-drug therapy methods are prescribed individually, taking into account the presence of contraindications for the patient.
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 lymphatic flow to remove pathogens from the prostate.
- 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 in 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 physiotherapy courses:
- Phonophoresis— the technique boils down to the introduction of vitamins and medications into the skin and prostate tissues through the influence of ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body at a 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 nerve endings leads to improved gland statics, normalization of blood circulation and reduction of pain. - Vacuum treatment (cans)— many experts agree that disturbances in the functioning of internal organs cause spinal pathologies. The technique is effective in combating congestion: after 1-2 sessions, the functioning of the prostate gland improves noticeably and urination is normalized.
- Electrical stimulators— the procedure is effective in treating any form of prostatitis, improves erections and activates the immune system. The use of electrical stimulation lasts 10 to 15 days.
During the session, a source of electrical current is supplied to the prostate gland 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 medications, accelerating the 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: patient age, invasiveness of the method, presence of contraindications and prostate volume.
The latest technologies for performing operations are associated with the absence of the need for dissection of abdominal tissue. Removal of the prostate occurs through the urethral canal or several small holes in the abdominal region.
Laser prostate removal is widely used. The high-intensity beam of light vaporizes the glandular tissue, which leads to a decrease in prostate volume.
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 complete restoration of all the basic functions of the genitourinary system.
Due to the high risks in old age, after 60-65 years, surgical treatment is practically not carried out. Therapy boils down 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 transrectal digital 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 massage remains the extraction of glandular stones containing inflammatory exudate.
Contraindications for prostate massage:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Reviews of the treatment show that the first prostate massage procedures are quite painful, but they bring great relief. The massage is performed exclusively by a specialist. Prescribed during the recovery period after drug treatment.
Preventing relapses of chronic prostatitis
Modern approaches to the treatment of chronic prostatitis consist not so much in combating prostate inflammation as in using effective preventive measures to prevent relapse of the disease.
Preventing prostatitis from returning includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Diet and lifestyle adjustments. General recommendation, preparation of a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or treatment table no. 5.
- Carrying out complex anti-relapse therapy. The course of treatment includes medications 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 checkups by a doctor, mandatory clinical blood and urine tests, and PSA tests at least every 6 months.
A healthy lifestyle, regular sexual intercourse, giving up alcohol and smoking - all this prevents the return of prostatitis, has a beneficial effect on a man's health and allows him to lead a rich and full life.