Diagnosis and management of acute and chronic prostatitis.

Prostatitis syndromes are some of the most poorly understood yet prevalent problems in urology. There is little controversy over acute prostatitis, a urinary tract infection with systemic symptoms and signs that typically responds to antimicrobial therapy. By contrast, the chronic prostatitis syndromes have so far eluded attempts to understand their pathophysiology and design effective therapies, resulting in great frustration among patients and health care providers. An accurate diagnosis and a multidisciplinary approach are essential to assist men with this often debilitating condition.