Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Epididymitis has a number of causes, including:
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). STDs, particularly gonorrhea and chlamydia, are the most common cause of epididymitis in young, sexually active men.
- Other infections. Boys, older men and homosexual men are more likely to have epididymitis caused by a non-sexually transmitted bacterial infection. For men and boys who've had urinary tract infections or prostate infections, bacteria may spread from the infected site to the epididymis. Rarely, epididymitis is caused by a fungal infection.
- The heart medication amiodarone. In some cases, this anti-arrhythmic medication causes inflammation of the epididymis. Epididymitis caused by amiodarone is treated by temporarily discontinuing the drug or reducing the dose.
- Tuberculosis. In some cases, tuberculosis can cause epididymitis.
- Urine in the epididymis. Known as chemical epididymitis, this occurs when urine flows backward into the epididymis. It may occur with heavy lifting or straining.
References
- Tracy CR, et al. Diagnosis and management of epididymitis. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2008;35:101.
- Nickel JC. Inflammatory conditions of the male genitourinary tract: Prostatitis and related conditions, orchitis, and epididymitis. In: Wein AJ. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/153597350-6/873677046/1445/12.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50011-X_746. Accessed Aug. 7, 2008.
- Fort GG. Epididymitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/153597350-3/873676567/1701/204.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50008-2--subchapter20_4323. Accessed Aug. 7, 2008.
- Brenner JS, et al. Causes of scrotal pain in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 7, 2008.
- Eyre RC. Evaluation of the acute scrotum in adult men http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 7, 2008.
