Prostatitis

Prostatitis is a common condition that accounts for a significant number of visits to both the emergency department and the urologist. The precise pat hogenic mechanism of prostatitis is not known. The most prevalent theory is that reflux of urine from the urethra into the intraprostatic ducts promot es ascending infection and leads to chemical or bacterial prostatitis. Trea tment is challenging because many antimicrobial agents do not effectively d iffuse into prostatic tissue and many cases of prostatitis are not found to have an infectious etiology. Prostatitis can be divided into different cla ssifications which range from acute severe infections, to chronic indolent infections, to chronic pain syndromes. The differentiation and management o f these entities can be difficult. This article seeks to clarify the differ ent infections, and provide a rational approach to treatment and dispositio n of these patients.