Signs & Symptoms of Prostatitis in Men

Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate, the gland responsible for producing semen. The Mayo Clinic notes prostatitis occurs most frequently in younger and middle-aged men, and might result from infections, trauma, disorders of the nervous or immune systems and possibly genetics. Sometimes doctors cannot pinpoint a cause. Symptoms relate to the type of prostatitis, which includes chronic, acute bacterial or chronic bacterial.

General Symptoms

• General symptoms in all types of prostatitis include painful urination, trouble emptying the bladder, excessive urination (particularly at night), sense of urgency, weak flow that might start and stop, painful ejaculation and pain in the stomach, groin, testicles, lower back and perineum. Some body pains might worsen during bowel movements.

Bacterial Prostatitis

• Bacterial prostatitis can be acute or chronic. In acute cases, symptoms appear quickly and are more severe. Acute prostatitis also can cause chills, fever, nausea and vomiting. Chronic bacterial prostatitis often produces frequent urinary tract infections that trigger these symptoms. Between infections, a man might experience symptoms ranging from severe to virtually nonexistent, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Chronic Prostatitis

• Chronic prostatitis produces symptoms slowly over a period of weeks or months. The symptoms might increase in intensity as time passes or remain the same. Experiencing symptoms for a period of three months or longer could indicate chronic prostatitis.