Epididymitis
Epididymitis is an inflammatory disease in which the appendage of the testis is affected. Epididymitis can lead to serious consequences if you do not pay attention to the disease in time.
The disease is accompanied by severe pain syndrome and swelling in the scrotum. The skin is hyperemic, hot.
Epididymitis can occur as an independent disease, and as a complication of other diseases. This pathology can be caused by both urinary tract infections and abstract infectious diseases – influenza, acute respiratory viral infections, etc.
Epididymitis is an inflammation of the so–called epididymis, a reservoir that stores mature sperm. This repository is a convoluted channel that communicates with the male sex glands – which increases the risk of such a problem as infertility.
CAUSES OF EPIDIDYMITIS
The main cause of epididymitis is the penetration of an infectious agent into the serpentine canal and the development of the inflammatory process.
Young people who lead a promiscuous lifestyle are more predisposed to the development of epididymitis, as sexually transmitted infections, including those affecting the epididymis.
Older people may also suffer from a similar disease due to another pathology – with inflammation of the prostate gland, the inflammatory process can be transmitted to the appendage of the testis.
Most often, the source of infection is a bacterium (E. coli, chlamydia, gonorrhea), and the type of infection spreading is ascending through the urethral canal, bypassing the prostate, they penetrate into the appendage of the testicle.
In rare cases, the cause of epididymitis may be a fungal infection or your own urine. This is how chemical epididymitis develops, which occurs as a result of the reverse flow of urine when performing sexual intercourse with a filled bladder.
SYMPTOMS OF EPIDIDYMITIS
The disease develops acutely, however, the symptoms develop gradually during the first day. The first thing men complain about is pain in the groin area, increasing swelling and hyperemia of the scrotum.
Along with this, pain may appear in the abdominal area – on the side, in the lower part. Pain may be more pronounced on one side. Often, pain first occurs in the side, and only then in the scrotum – this is due to the anatomy of the male genitals, because the vas deferens are inflamed first.
With a pronounced inflammatory process, the swelling may be more pronounced – the affected appendage may increase by more than 4 times compared to normal.
The act of urinating can also be painful, sometimes there is blood in the urine. In addition to blood, mucus or pus may be released from the urethra.
Also, the general body temperature rises, fever with chills appears, intoxication syndrome.
If the inflammation lasts for more than 6 weeks, and no measures are taken, then epididymitis flows from an acute disease into a chronic form, which threatens many unpleasant problems, one of which is loss of fertility and infertility.
DIAGNOSIS OF EPIDIDYMITIS
To determine the diagnosis, a man should contact a urologist. He conducts an initial examination, interviews the patient. Further, the development of a sexually transmitted infection should be excluded. Additional methods are considered to be ultrasound, laboratory tests of blood and urine.
TREATMENT OF EPIDIDYMITIS
With infectious etiology, epididymitis is treated with medication – a man is prescribed a course of antibacterial therapy, the pain syndrome is stopped with painkillers. At high temperatures, antipyretics are prescribed. Therapy can last up to several weeks.
