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What Can Cause Prostatitis?

Prostatitis is a disorder of the prostate characterized by inflammation of the gland. When inflammation sets in, it can result in fairly uncomfortable symptoms for its sufferers, such as pelvic pain, abdominal pain, urinary disruptions and nausea. But prostatitis itself isn't a solitary condition, but a number of conditions that fall under a broad diagnosis. The cause of the disorder varies from person to person.

  1. Bacterial Infection

    • When someone is diagnosed with prostatitis, it is usually due to some sort of bacterial infection. In this situation, urine will somehow escape from the bladder and leak into the prostate. Even in very small amounts, the presence of urine can cause a big problem for this tiny gland. If the urine contains any bacteria, the prostate can become infected. The gland will soon become inflamed, resulting in a bacterial form of prostatitis.

    Fungal Infection

    • With prostatitis, a man can also develop its characteristic inflammation from a fungal infection, namely one involving yeast (or some strain of Candida). This scenario works very similar to that of a bacterial infection, but instead of bacteria infecting the prostate through a backflow of urine, it will be a fungus making its way through the urethra and into the prostate.

    Another Disorder

    • For some people, prostatitis is caused by an entirely different medical condition. This could be a glandular tumor, allergy, STD, HIV or even cancer of the prostate. Though these conditions cover a fairly broad range of health-related issues, there is a key factor that each has in common. All of them involve the immune system, prompting it to become either weakened or overactive. This change in immune response causes the body to produce hormones or antigens that may target the prostate and prompt inflammation.

    Injury

    • For others, prostatitis can be caused by an injury sustained to the prostate itself. The cause of this injury may run from a simple catheterization all the way up to blunt force trauma to the pelvis. No matter the circumstances, the injury could result in the prostate becoming inflamed, thereby prompting prostatitis.

    Stress

    • It is also possible for stress to cause prostatitis. As a man is continually placed under stress, his body will eventually see a change in hormones, namely in the level of prolactin in his system. According to the National Institutes of Health, this particular hormone can cause an inflammation of the prostate, resulting in prostatitis.

    Pressure

    • From time to time, prostatitis can be caused by direct pressure being placed on the prostate gland. In this situation, there wouldn't necessarily be any inflammation within the prostate, but it's the pressure from nearby organs or tissue prompting the pelvic pain, abdominal pain, urinary disruptions and nausea.

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