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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffProstatitis, a disease of the prostate gland, can cause pain in the groin, painful urination, difficulty urinating and related symptoms. The prostate gland produces components of semen, the fluid that helps support and transport sperm. The gland, about the size and shape of a walnut, sits directly below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube that transports both semen and urine to the penis.
Prostatitis isn't a single condition but a group of disorders with related symptoms. Some forms of prostatitis are generally well understood — those clearly related to bacterial infections — and can usually be treated effectively. These types of prostatitis account for about 5 to 10 percent of all cases.
More common forms of prostatitis aren't as well understood and are more difficult to diagnose and treat. Some medications help manage the symptoms, and new therapies are under investigation.
Symptoms- Meyrier A, et al. Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Pontari MA. Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Schaeffer AJ. Clinical practice. Chronic prostatitis and the chronic pelvic pain syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;355:1690-1698.
- Prostatitis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments. Linthicum, MD: American Urological Association Foundation; 2005.
- Nickel J. Inflammatory conditions of the male genitourinary tract: Prostatitis and related conditions, orchitis, and epididymitis. In: Wein A, et al., eds. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/117299121-3/794153691/1445/12.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..50011-X--cesec1_747. Accessed Jan. 21, 2009.
- Pontari MA. Etiologic theories of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Current Urology Reports. 2007;8:307-312.
