The treatment of prostatitis

Purpose. - Prostatitis are frequently recognized in general practice and often are a diagnosis and therapeutic challenge. We review here the updated knowledge on diagnosis and therapy of prostatitis. Current knowledge and key points. - Prostatitis are divided into acute bacterial prostatitis (1), chronic bacterial prostatitis (11), chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (III) and asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. Chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome are divided into: inflammatory (IIIA) and noninflammatory (11113). Treatment of prostatitis should follow evidence based guidelines recently published. Acute prostatitis should be treated by ciprofloxacine 500 mg tid or ofloxacine 200 mg bid or cotrimoxazole 960 mg bid for 4 weeks (CIII). When bacteremia occurs third generation cephalosporin with gentamicin should be used (CIII). In chronic bacterial prostatitis ciprofloxacine 500 mg tid or ofloxacine 200 mg bid or norfloxacine 400 mg bid or cotrimoxazole 960 mg bid for 4 weeks may be used (13111). Future prospects and projects. - Molecular techniques should improve the etiological diagnosis of prostatitis and their treatment. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.