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The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the role of Ureaplasma urealyticum in the etiology of chronic prostatitis. This research is part of a scientific research project of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia "Diagnosis and treatment of patients with prostatitis syndrome" (no. 143-1080002-0050). The study was conducted at the Outpatient Department for Urogenital Infections, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević", Zagreb, Croatia, between March 1, 1999 and June 30, 2008. The Ethics Committee of the Hospital approved the study. We examined a total of 3029 patients over 18 years of age with symptoms of chronic prostatitis and no evidence of structural or functional lower genitourinary tract abnormalities. Pelvic ultrasound was used for prostatic and bladder imaging. The inclusion criteria for chronic prostatitis was the duration of symptoms for at least three months. The patients complained of one or more symptoms: urethral symptoms (voiding dysfunction, urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia, dysuria), prostatic symptoms (pain and discomfort in the low back and in the perineal, suprapubic, penile, scrotal or groin areas) and sexual symptoms (pain during or after ejaculation or erectile dysfunction). The inclusion criteria for chronic prostatitis caused by Ureaplasma urealyticum were: 1) presence of clinical symptoms ; 2) presence of Ureaplasma urealyticum in EPS or VB3 ; 3) presence of ł10 WBCs /hpf in EPS or VB3 ; 4) absence of Ureaplasma urealyticum in urethral swabs and 5) absence of other possible pathogens of chronic prostatitis in urethral swabs, EPS or VB3. Out of the total of 3029 patients that were analyzed, 1954 (64.5%) patients had chronic inflammatory prostatitis syndrome and 1075 (35.5%) had non-inflammatory prostatitis. Ureaplasma urealyticum was confirmed in 158 patients out of the total of 1954 patients with chronic inflammatory prostatitis syndrome and in 63 patients out of the total of 1075 patients with chronic non-inflammatory prostatitis syndrome. |
