Is Prostatitis Equal to Urinary Tract Infection?

Men suffering from urinary tract infections or prostatitis will have symptoms of urinary tract irritation, such as frequent urination, urgency, and painful urination, which are difficult for many patients to distinguish.

So, what are the differences and distinctions between these two diseases? How do you identify between the two?

In a nutshell, the two are both different and related.

Prostatitis and urinary tract infections are two different concepts. Urinary tract infections include upper and lower urinary tract infections. Upper urinary tract infections are usually characterized by acute pyelonephritis. In contrast, lower urinary tract infections are mainly characterized by cystitis and urethritis, the main symptoms of infections caused by germs invading the urinary system.

Prostatitis is generally defined as an inflammatory lesion of the prostate. Since the urethra and prostate are located relatively close to each other, especially since prostate fluid is excreted through the urethra, most prostatitis is caused by secondary urinary tract infections.

The most common clinical manifestations in patients with urinary tract infections are frequent urination, urinary urgency, and painful urination. At the same time, prostatitis, including acute as well as chronic lesions, also manifests itself in these urethral irritation symptoms. Therefore, there are similarities in the signs of the two.

So, what is the difference between the two diseases?

1. Differences in Infection Sites

Urinary tract infections are infections of the male urinary system, and prostatitis is an infection of the male reproductive system, so the sites of infection are different.

2. Differences in Etiology

Urinary tract infections are caused mainly by retrograde infection of the urinary system by pathogens, and the most common causative agent is E. coli.

Prostatitis, on the other hand, has a complex etiology, with pathogen infection accounting for only about 10% of the cases. Most of the patients are due to excessive masturbation, a sedentary lifestyle or cycling for a long time, drinking and smoking, and long-term consumption of spicy and irritating foods and other bad habits, which belong to nonbacterial prostatitis.

3. Differences in Symptoms

Symptoms of urinary tract infections tend to show discomfort in the urethra, such as frequent urination, urinary urgency, urinary pain, painful urination, hematuria, and other symptoms.

Although prostatitis has similar symptoms, its symptoms are more complex, often accompanied by pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen, inguinal area, perineum, and lumbosacral area, and may also have painful ejaculation, ejaculatory weakness, hemospermia, scrotal dampness and other symptoms. Moreover, patients with chronic prostatitis may also experience psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

4. Differences in Examinations

Routine urine tests for patients with urinary tract infections often reveal a significant increase in white blood cells or bacteria. On the other hand, patients with prostatitis usually have a normal number of white blood cells or only a small number in their routine urine examination. Prostatitis patients also need to do a rectal examination, prostate fluid examination, and ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.

5. Differences in Treatments

Urinary tract infections are usually treated with antibiotics. According to the pathogens detected in the urine, as well as the patient's drug sensitivity test, the appropriate antibiotics are selected for rational treatment, and good results can be obtained.

However, the simple use of antibiotics for prostatitis, especially chronic prostatitis, is generally slow, and the long-term use of antibiotics is prone to drug resistance, leading to the recurrence of the disease. For recurring prostatitis, the traditional Chinese medicine Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill will not only produce no drug resistance and other side effects but also can comprehensively regulate the patient's genitourinary system to eliminate the inflammation, relieve the pain and complete cure for the disease.

To summarize, prostatitis and urinary tract infections are two different diseases, but there are some similar symptoms. Therefore, male patients should distinguish between these two diseases, not rely on the symptoms to arbitrarily conclude that one of the diseases, and then take self-medication, thus delaying the condition.