The prostate gland has the shape and size of a walnut, and is located right underneath the urinary bladder. The gland secretes a milky fluid which becomes part of the fluid that holds the sperm. Because the sperm cannot move well in an acidic environment, this fluid is basic so it can neutralize the acidic secretions of the vagina.
Fever and Chills
The human body responds to an infection by starting what is called an inflammatory process. As part of this process, several types of white blood cells release substances that tell the hypothalamus part of the brain to increase the body temperature. When the hypothalamus sends out signals, the metabolic rate and body temperature increase and people start to shiver, and develop a fever and chills. As explained by Elizabeth Corwin, Ph.D. in "Handbook of Pathophysiology," scientists hypothesize that fevers help fight infections. High fevers are harmful because the high temperature can damage cells. Men with prostatitis usually have fever and chills, because prostatitis is the inflammation of the prostate. Some may have a fever and chills if they have a prostate abscess.
Urination Problems
Men with a prostate disease will have problems with urination, but the exact problem depends on the type of prostate disease they are experiencing. Those with prostatitis or a prostate abscess may have pain when they are urinating. A prostate abscess can develop from a bacterial infection of the prostate gland that was not treated long enough, according to "Smith's General Urology." The urinary problems in benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer usually include hesitancy or problems starting to urinate, a smaller stream and the feeling that they need to urinate more but cannot.
Bone Pain
Prostate cancer develops slowly, and men usually do not have any symptoms until the cancer is at an advanced stage, notes The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The symptoms of prostate cancer at a late stage include urinary problems and bone pain. This cancer can metastasize, or spread, to the bone, and usually spreads to the vertebrae, ribs and pelvis. Men with advanced prostate cancer may have bone pain in the lower back and develop fractures as well.
Hematuria
Hematuria is the medical term for red blood cells in the urine. In benign prostatic hyperplasia, the prostate gland is hyperplastic, or enlarged. The urethra, which carries the urine, passes through the gland. The oversized gland presses on the urethra and interferes with the urine flow. If a man strains when he tries to urinate, the blood vessels in the area can rupture, letting blood into the urine, explains The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The gland is also enlarged in prostatitis, and men may have blood in their urine in this prostate disease as well.
References
- "Handbook of Pathophysiology"; Elizabeth Corwin, MSN, Ph.D., F.N.P.; 2000
- "Smith's General Urology"; Emil Tanagho, M.D., Jack McAninch, M.D.; 2008
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Prostate Cancer
