The symptoms of
prostatitis depend on the type of disease you have. You may experience no symptoms or symptoms so sudden and severe they cause you to seek emergency medical care. Symptoms, when present, can include any of the following:
FeverChillsUrinary frequencyFrequent urination at nightDifficulty urinatingBurning or painful urinationPerineal (referring to the perineum, the area between the scrotum and the anus)Low-back painJoint or muscle painTender or swollen prostateBlood in the urinePainful ejaculation
Are the symptoms of prostatitis unique?
The symptoms of prostatitis resemble those of other infections or prostate diseases. Thus, even if the symptoms disappear, you should have your prostate checked. For example, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate that is common in men over age 40, may produce urinary tract symptoms similar to those experienced with prostatitis. Similarly, urethritis, an inflammation of the urethra (often caused by an infection), may also give rise to many of the symptoms associated with prostatitis.
Still another condition that mimics the symptoms of prostatitis -- when prostatitis is not present -- is prostadynia (painful prostate). Patients with prostadynia have pain in the pelvis or in the perineum. Such pain may result from a prostate problem, but the pain can have a variety of different causes, including muscle spasms or other musculoskeletal conditions.
Yet another term we may mention in discussing your prostate problem is prostatosis, a more vague word that simply means "a condition of the prostate." It is often interchangeable with prostadynia. Because of the connections between the urethra, bladder, and prostate, conditions affecting one or the other often have similar or overlapping symptoms.
