Rectal Pain or Itching

Call your doctor. Prostatitis can progress to a more severe infection. Treatment for prostatitis requires antibiotics.

Prostatitis can present in two different ways:

Acute prostatitis

If you have symptoms of fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea or vomiting, then you may have acute prostatitis. Acute prostatitis is an infection of the prostate that develops suddenly and intensifies quickly after contamination by bacteria from the gut or from sexual contact. Acute prostatitis sometimes causes a severe enough illness that it may require a hospital stay and intravenous antibiotics for treatment.

Chronic prostatitis

An infection that is stubbornly established in the prostate may cause persistent inflammation of the gland. The symptoms may be just mild discomfort in the rectal area, often with a frequent urge to urinate. There may be burning with urination and a slower stream. Fever is not usually present. Chronic prostatitis usually requires treatment with antibiotics for six weeks or longer.

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Online Medical Reviewer: Faculty of Harvard Medical School Date Last Reviewed: 7/13/2006 Date Last Modified: 6/21/2006 Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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