Prostatitis (cont.)
Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis causes and symptoms
Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is exactly as its name describes. There
are no symptoms. The cause of asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is not
clearly understood.
How is prostatitis diagnosed?
The diagnosis of prostatitis relies on a careful history and physical
examination by the health care practitioner.
The most important laboratory test is a urinalysis to
help differentiate the types of prostatitis. The need for other blood tests or
imaging studies like ultrasound,
X-ray, and
computerized tomography (CT) will depend upon the
clinical situation and presentation.
Acute bacterial prostatitis diagnosis
After taking a history, the health care practitioner will likely have a directed
physical examination concentrating on the scrotum, looking for inflammation of
the testicle(s) or epididymis, and the flank and mid-back, where the kidney is
located. If a rectal examination is performed, the prostate may be swollen and
boggy, consistent with acute inflammation.
Laboratory testing may include urinalysis, looking for
white blood cells and
bacteria, signifying infection. The urine may also be cultured to identify the
bacteria that are responsible for the infection, but results will take up to
seven days to return. The results will help confirm that the antibiotic chosen
is correct and may help choose an alternate antibiotic should the illness
progress.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis diagnosis
The diagnosis is made by finding an abnormal urinalysis. Sometimes, a
urinalysis is collected after prostate examination. This may allow some
prostatic fluid to be expressed into the urine and cultured.
A blood test called PSA (prostate surface antigen) may
be elevated in this type of prostatitis. While PSA is used as a prostate cancer
screening tool, it
can also be elevated whenever the prostate is inflamed.
Chronic prostatitis without infection diagnosis
To make the diagnosis of chronic prostatitis without infection, symptoms
should be present for at least three months. The cause of chronic prostatitis
without infection (chronic pelvic pain
syndrome) is not known.
This is a frustrating condition for the patient and the health care
practitioner
since there is controversy as to the aggressiveness of testing, and
exactly what tests should be done. Often, this is a diagnosis of exclusion,
meaning that blood tests, urine tests, x-rays and ultrasounds tend to be normal,
yet the patient continues to suffer.
Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis diagnosis
There are no symptoms with this type of prostatitis, however, when routine
lab tests are performed, white blood cells (a sign of inflammation) are found in
the urine, but there are no associated bacteria or infection.
Next: What is the treatment for prostatitis? »
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