Browsing by Author "Korrovits, Paul"
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Item Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis: prevalence, etiological factors, diagnostic tools(2008-07-07T05:56:03Z) Korrovits, PaulAsymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is defined as the presence of significant amounts of leukocytes and/or bacteria in prostate-specific material (expressed prostatic secretions, semen or prostate tissue sample) and the absence of subjective symptoms. Very few studies are available on the prevalence and etiology of this form of prostatitis. The primary aims of this research were to 1) determine the prevalence of asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis in young Estonian men, 2) investigate the etiologic factors of asymptomatic prostatitis by means of quantitative full-microflora analysis of semen, and 3) establish and validate the use of the most acknowledged diagnostic tool available for symptomatic prostatitis – National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) – in Estonian for use in further epidemiological studies and clinical work alike. As a result we found that a remarkable proportion (6-19% depending on the diagnostic criteria used) of young Estonian men has asymptomatic inflammatory (NIH category IV) prostatitis, whereby symptomatic forms of prostatitis are almost absent in this age group. Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis most probably has an important infectious component since these patients harbor abundant polymicrobial microbiocenosis in their semen containing both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, which resembles the microbiota seen also in symptomatic forms of prostatitis. PSA levels in serum and IL-6 concentration in seminal plasma are significantly higher in NIH IV category prostatitis patients than in the controls. Analogous tendencies have been found in symptomatic prostatitis, thus further supporting the similarities between asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis and symptomatic forms of prostatitis. Moderate leukocytospermia appears to increase sperm concentration and total sperm count regardless of age, while severe leukocytospermia tends to have negative effect on the semen quality only in mid-twenties but not in younger men. Moreover, younger study subjects tend to have better semen quality than their older counterparts regardless of their leukocytospermia status. That may indicate age-dependent differences in functional reserve of accessory sex glands.