The Main Considerations In Prostatitis Antibiotic Treatment

By Marguerite Stanton


Prostatitis antibiotic treatment may be effective by itself or may need to be combined with other modes of therapy such as surgery or lifestyle changes in severe cases of the disease. The commonest isolated organism is E. Coli which accounts for close to 80% of all bacterial infections. Determining whether one is dealing with an acute or chronic prostatitis is important in formulating the management plan.

Acute infections are those that have lasted just a few days, usually less than two weeks. Chronic prostatitis, on the other hand, is an infection that has lasted for more than three months. In both cases, the current practice is to use trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin for treatment. The drugs are administered for between four and six weeks. This may, however, be much longer in chronic cases. Other antibiotics used include carbenicillin, erythromycin, nitrofurantoin and tetracycline.

Most of these drugs do not adequately penetrate the prostate tissue unless it is inflamed. This is what is responsible for prolonged periods of drug administration in many patients. The other challenge in is the occasional formation of small stones in the gland which make it very difficult to clear the infection. It is common for symptoms to return after treatment particularly in patients who fail to complete their doses.

If the infection is very severe then hospitalization will be required. The medication required for these patients will include aminoglycosides (amikacin or gentamicin), cephalosporins and ampicillin. The drugs are usually administered intravenously for rapid action. Urinary tract obstruction is an accompanying symptom which is relieved by inserting a urinary catheter.

Presence of infections in the lower urinary tract worsens prostatitis and patients are for this reason advised to avoid them. Since many of the patients who regain the symptoms are also poorly compliant to drugs, the general advice is that all medication must be taken to completion. This is important in controlling resistance of the organisms to the drugs.

If prostatitis antibiotic treatment is ineffective, one should consider the other possibilities: surgery and lifestyle changes. Transurethral resection of the prostate is a surgical procedure that may be performed in people with a long standing illness. It has an excellent prognosis. The dietary measures that can be taken include avoidance of alcohol, citrus juices and caffeine. Fluid intake should be increased.




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