PROSTATITIS DIAGNOSIS

Prostatitis is a tricky disease to diagnose. A doctor can feel the prostate during a digital rectal exam, but in most cases the gland will seem normal. A doctor can also conduct a urine culture to check for bacteria, but once again, the test isn't likely to reveal anything (unless the patient has an acute bacterial infection).

Doctors often diagnose prostatitis when they can't find any other explanation for symptoms (such as an enlarged prostate or a urinary tract infection). With a little extra detective work, however, it's possible to get a more definitive diagnosis.

In addition to a regular urine sample, a doctor can collect a sample after massaging the prostate. This sample will contain secretions from the prostate -- and, perhaps, a few clues to the condition. Among patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis, cultures from the post-massage urine sample may be positive for bacteria. If a patient has chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, the sample will usually have large levels of white blood cells, which is a sign of inflammation.