Prostatitis
Inflammation of the prostate gland in men, causing pelvic or genital pain, urinary symptoms and sometimes fever. Acute bacterial prostatitis is a sudden, feverish infection needing prompt antibiotics; the chronic form is a common, often frustrating cause of long-term pelvic discomfort.
What it is
Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate, the walnut-sized gland below the bladder in men. It comes in several forms. Acute bacterial prostatitis is a sudden bacterial infection: fever and chills, pain in the pelvis, perineum (between the legs) or lower back, and urinary symptoms such as burning, frequency and difficulty passing urine — it can make a man quite unwell and needs prompt antibiotics. Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a longer-standing or recurring infection. By far the most common form, though, is chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome, in which there is persistent pelvic or genital pain and urinary or sexual symptoms without a clear infection found — it is often frustrating to treat and thought to involve a mix of factors. Prostatitis can temporarily raise the PSA blood test (a prostate marker), which is worth knowing so a raised PSA during infection isn't misread. It is diagnosed clinically with urine tests, and the acute infective form especially needs timely treatment.
Key lab markers
- Urine tests (dipstick and culture) — look for infection.
- White cell count (WBC) and CRP — raised in acute bacterial prostatitis.
- PSA — can rise with prostatitis (inflammation); a PSA test during or soon after infection can be misleadingly high, so it is repeated once settled.
- Blood cultures — if the infection may have spread to the blood. The chronic pelvic pain form typically has normal infection tests, and is a clinical diagnosis.
Symptoms
- Pain in the pelvis, perineum, lower back, or genitals
- Burning or discomfort passing urine; frequency, urgency, difficulty starting
- Pain or discomfort with ejaculation
- Acute bacterial form: fever, chills, feeling unwell, and more severe urinary symptoms
- Sometimes blood in the urine or semen
- The chronic form: persistent or recurring pelvic pain over months
Related symptoms
Related lab panels
When to discuss with a doctor
See a doctor for pelvic, perineal or genital pain with urinary symptoms so prostatitis can be assessed and, where infection is present, treated. Acute bacterial prostatitis — with fever, chills and feeling unwell — needs prompt medical care and antibiotics, and being unable to pass urine at all is an emergency. The common chronic pelvic pain form is not an emergency but is worth proper assessment and a management plan, as it can significantly affect quality of life and often needs a combination of approaches. It is also useful to know that prostatitis can raise the PSA blood test, so a raised PSA around an infection should be interpreted with that in mind and rechecked later. Mediora.AI can flag a raised white-cell/CRP pattern that fits acute prostatitis and note the PSA caveat; the diagnosis and treatment belong with your doctor.