Prostatitis Statistics

• Some estimated prostatitis to affect an estimated 30-50% of males. But European statistics show 5-10% of men of fertile age suffer from it, while the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey claims 8-9% are affected.
• Acute bacterial prostatitis is the least common of the four types but also the easiest to diagnose and treat effectively.
• Chronic bacterial prostatitis, also relatively uncommon, is acute prostatitis associated with an underlying defect in the prostate, which becomes a focal point for bacterial persistence in the urinary tract.
• Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is the most common but least understood form of prostatitis.
• Statistics indicate that the majority of patients will be diagnosed as nonbacterial prostatitis, based on no growth on cultures, yet will be given antibiotics.
• There are increasing evidence among researchers that the so-called "non bacterial prostatitis" is due to difficult to isolate organisms.
• Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, the only effective treatment employed by doctors is to massage the prostate which relieved most of the symptoms, but were not curative. The advent of antibiotics led many doctors to believe that massage was no longer necessary. However, the results of antibiotic after antibiotic is a well know fact, that the cure rate for prostatitis was dismal and those declared cured often recurred.