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Acute prostatitis is an acute febrile illness caused by bacterial infection of the prostate gland. The diagnosis is usually quite obvious based on the patient’s symptoms.
Acute bacterial prostatitis is diagnosed if:
- prostate is swollen, warm and firm
- urinalysis shows increased white blood cell count
- bacterial growth is found on a culture of the post-urination sample or on prostatic secretions
- initial symptoms are consistent with acute prostatitis
The syndromes of chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic non-bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome are quite similar to one another. The difference depends on the findings of the microscopy and culture of the urine and prostate secretions.
If an organism is isolated it is called chronic bacterial prostatitis.
“Non-bacterial chronic prostatitis” is diagnosed if:
- leukocytes suggesting infection are present in the prostatic secretions
- no organism is isolated
A diagnosis of a diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain syndrome or prostatodynia is made if:
- symptoms of chronic prostatitis are present
- urine and prostate secretions are completely normal
Initial diagnosis may be proven wrong if treatments fail. As the different types of prostatitis are difficult to diagnose and treat, patients must expect that diagnosis will be a process rather than an event.
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