The patient presenting with chronic prostatitis

Prostatitis is a condition of the prostate gland which occurs in 5-9% of men. It is the most common chronic urological diagnosis made by physicians in men aged less than fifty years and the third most common in men aged over fifty. Taken literally, prostatitis means 'inflammation of the prostate gland'. However, it has become apparent that such a traditional definition may be too simplified. Prostatitis represents a spectrum of conditions ranging from the sudden onset of urinary symptoms and fever due to bacterial infection of the prostate to chronic pelvic pain without evidence of prostatic inflammation or infection. This chapter describes the various forms of prostatitis, their presentations and appropriate investigations and outlines treatment and supportive care with an emphasis on chronic prostatitis.