Acute prostatitis

Acute prostatitis is usually caused by organisms entering the prostate from urinary tract infections.

Commonly caused by Escherichia coli bacteria.

Symptoms include dysuria, perineal or genital pain, and urinary frequency alongside a clinical picture of sepsis.

May be successfully treated with antibiotics, but a prolonged course is frequently required if chronic prostatitis follows the acute occurrence.

Acute prostatitis is a painful inflammation within the prostate that is usually accompanied by evidence of recent or ongoing bacterial infection. Its hallmark is the acute onset of lower urinary tract symptoms (e.g., dysuria, urinary frequency, perineal discomfort) accompanied by variable systemic signs of fever, chills, and malaise.[1]Brede CM, Shoskes DA. The etiology and management of acute prostatitis. Nat Rev Urol. 2011 Apr;8(4):207-12. https://www.doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2011.22 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21403661?tool=bestpractice.com ​ Acute prostatitis may cause referred pain into the genitalia, perineum, and lower back or suprapubic areas.[2]Rothman JR, Jaffe WI. Prostatitis: updates on diagnostic evaluation. Curr Urol Rep. 2007 Jul;8(4):301-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18519014?tool=bestpractice.com It differs from chronic prostatitis, a condition of prolonged prostatic irritation lasting ≥3 months that may be bacterial or abacterial in nature. Chronic prostatitis is characterized by persistent prostatitis or recurrent urinary tract infections.[3]Brehm TJ, Trautner BW, Kulkarni PA. Acute and chronic infectious prostatitis in older adults. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2023 Mar;37(1):175-94. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36805012?tool=bestpractice.com ​ Patients with chronic prostatitis may also experience chronic pelvic pain originating in the prostate, or prostatodynia.​[4]Khan FU, Ihsan AU, Khan HU, et al. Comprehensive overview of prostatitis. Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Oct;94:1064-76. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28813783?tool=bestpractice.com ​