Abstract
Chronic prostatitis is a common and poorly understood condition that significantly impacts quality of life. Conventional therapy usually consists of prolonged courses of antibiotics; however, the efficacy of this approach is defined better by clearance of bacteria than by improvement in symptoms. Newer therapies with some evidence for efficacy include α blockers, anti-inflammatory drugs, phytotherapy (quercetin, bee pollen), physiotherapy, neuroleptics, and others with unique actions (finasteride, pentosan polysulfate). The National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index is a validated symptom score that, in preliminary use, appears to be responsive to patient improvement. As more well-designed clinical trials in chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome come to completion, physicians will be able to make rational treatment choices for patients with this common and frustrating condition.
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Shoskes, D.A. Treatment Response to Conventional and Novel Therapies in Chronic Prostatitis. Curr Urol Rep 4, 311–315 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-003-0091-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-003-0091-2