Medical History and Physical Exam for Prostatitis
A medical history is an evaluation of your
past and present health. If
prostatitis is suspected, your doctor
will ask questions about:
- Your family's health
history.
- Previous urinary tract infections or other urinary
problems.
- Your sexual history. You may be tested for
sexually transmitted diseases.
- Your
symptoms such as pelvic pain, difficulty urinating, and excessive need to
urinate at night.
- Whether you have had any discharge from the penis
or blood in the urine.
- Whether you are receiving treatment for any
other diseases.
A medical history also includes questions about your general health
and the results of any previous tests.
A physical exam for prostatitis
includes:
- Measuring your body
temperature.
- Examining your genitals, lower back, and
abdomen.
- A
digital rectal exam to check for prostate enlargement,
growths, or inflammation. In acute prostatitis, the prostate is tender and
swollen. In other types of prostatitis (chronic bacterial prostatitis and
chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory and noninflammatory),
the prostate often appears normal.
- After the digital rectal exam, your doctor may perform prostatic massage. To do this test, your doctor will insert a gloved finger into your rectum and press firmly on your prostate. Your doctor will then collect urine or prostate secretion to look for bacteria or cells that point to inflammation (leukocytes). This test is easy to do and can help your doctor diagnose the cause of your prostatitis.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | J. Curtis Nickel, MD, FRCSC - Urology |
| Last Revised | December 3, 2011 |