Inflammation of the Prostate

The prostate is a male reproductive gland located just below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis. The function of the prostate is to produce prostatic fluid, which mixes with sperm to make semen, the ejaculatory fluid released during sexual climax.

The prostate can become inflamed for a variety of reasons. Doctors have classified prostatitis into four categories: acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, chronic prostatitis with or without inflammation (known as chronic pelvic pain syndrome), and inflammatory prostatitis without symptoms. Each of these types of prostatitis has a unique set of symptoms and treatment.

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