Prostatitis.

Several distinct types of prostatitis, or prostatitis syndromes, are now recognized. The most common forms include acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis, nonbacterial prostatitis, and prostatodynia. Bacterial prostatitis, caused mainly by coliform bacteria, Pseudomonas, and Enterococcus faecalis, is often difficult to cure and usually requires extended therapy (4-16 weeks) with an appropriate antimicrobial agent that achieves therapeutic levels in the prostatic secretory system. About 90% of men with prostatitis have nonbacterial prostatitis or prostatodynia. Nonbacterial prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate of unknown cause. Patients with prostatodynia typically have sterile cultures and normal prostatic secretions but demonstrate an acquired voiding dysfunction on videourodynamic testing. Because nonbacterial types of prostatitis have no recognized infectious cause, treatment using antimicrobial agents is ineffective and unwarranted.