The hallmark of chronic bacterial prostatitis is that when infection recurs with the same organism
which has caused the previous infection.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is also caused by bacteria and is also treated with antibiotics. It can be a recurring illness, coming back periodically for years after an initial episode of acute bacterial prostatitis. Its symptoms are usually milder versions of those seen in the acute form. Here, too, treatment with antibiotics should continue for six weeks. In many cases, the infection goes away every time with treatment; if, a few months later, it returns, it will vanish again after another round of antibiotics.

Risk factors:

• Unprotected sexual intercourse.
• Defects in prostate gland.
• Prostatic calculi.

• Recurrent urinary tract infection.

Prevention: Finally, many men with prostatitis have found that their symptoms improve when

they change their diet—eating a good balance of fruits and vegetables; avoiding spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, and soft drinks that contain saccharin; and drinking enough water to keep urine running clear—and their lifestyle. A thirty-minute hot bath or sitz bath, twice a day, can relieve pain and make it easier to urinate.

Getting daily exercise (but not riding a bike or an exercise bike, which can irritate symptoms) andresuming normal sexual activity may also be helpful.

Treatment: CBP requires a longer course of antibiotic treatment-typically four to 12 weeks.

Antibiotics prescribed include ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, carbenicillin,
tetracycline, doxycycline and erythromycin. About 60% of CBP cases respond to this treatment.
If this is unsuccessful, a 4 to 12-month, low-dose course of antimicrobal treatment may be
recommended.

Alternative treatments involving direct injection of antimicrobal agents into the
prostate and low-dose suppressive antibacterial therapy also have been tried.

The most persistent cases of CBP may require surgery to correct the underlying prostate or
urinary tract defect responsible for reinfection. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) may be necessary.