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Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• What is the prostate gland?
• What is prostatitis?
• What are the types and symptoms of prostatitis?
• Acute bacterial prostatitis causes and symptoms
• Chronic bacterial prostatitis causes and symptoms
• Chronic prostatitis without infection causes and symptoms
• Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis causes and symptoms
• How is prostatitis diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for prostatitis?
• What is the prognosis for prostatitis?
• Patient Comments: Prostatitis - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Prostatitis - Describe Your Experience
• Find a local Urologist in your town
• Prostatitis Index

Prostatitis is the general term used to describe prostate inflammation (-itis). Because the term is so general, it does not adequately describe the range of abnormalities that can be associated with prostate inflammation. Therefore, four types of prostatitis are recognized.

There are four types of prostatitis:

• acute bacterial prostatitis
  
  
• chronic bacterial prostatitis
  
  
• chronic prostatitis without infection
  
  
• asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis

Acute bacterial prostatitis is an infection of the prostate that is often caused by some of the same bacteria that cause bladder infections. These include E. coli, Klebsiella, and Proteus. While it may be acquired as a sexually transmitted disease, the infection can also spread to the prostate through the blood stream, directly from an adjacent organ, or as a complication of prostate biopsy.

Patients with acute bacterial prostatitis present with signs of an infection and may have:

• fever,
  
  
• chills, and
  
  
• shakes.

Commonly there is urgency and frequency of urination and dysuria (painful or difficult urination).