The prostate is a gland located below the bladder. It is one of the primary parts of the male reproductive system, and it surrounds the canal responsible for emptying the bladder called the urethra. The prostate is also responsible for the production of a fluid that contains the semen. Several conditions are associated with the prostate – the most common ones being prostate cancer, prostate infection and prostate enlargement.
What is a Prostate Infection?
A prostate infection shows as a swelling of the prostate. This is due to an infection in the prostate that causes irritation and inflammation in the gland – this condition is also known as Prostatitis. Having a prostate infection can carry with it a wide range of issues, including problems with urination frequency and possible pain when urinating.
Prostate infection comes in different forms; acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis. The acute form is the least common, but it also has the most severe symptoms and these often appear without warning. Chronic prostatitis on the other hand, tends to develop in a slower pace and over a longer period of time.
Bacterial infection causing an inflammation of the prostate may be followed by an acute case of prostatitis. The symptoms of this type of prostate infection are fever, vomiting, nausea, chills and a painful burning feeling when urinating. This condition requires immediate treatment, as it could lead to one or more abscesses in the prostate, block of urine flow and bladder infections, if not treated.
Recurrent infections of the urinary tract that enter into the prostate gland may cause chronic bacterial prostatitis. The symptoms of this kind of prostatitis is very similar to the acute type, and it is not easy to diagnose this specific type of prostate infection, as it has shown challenging, even for well-educated physicians to trace the bacteria in the urine.
What are the Causes of Prostate Infection?
The exact cause of prostate infection is not entirely clear - it is however believed that the bacteria causing the infection enter the prostate because of a backward flow of either infected urine or stool (from the rectum), going through the urethra.
