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Published on: August 11, 2012
Chlamydia trachomatis versus common uropathogens as a cause of chronic bacterial prostatitis: Is there any
Tommaso Cai1, Francesca Pisano2, Gabriella Nesi3
1Department of Urology, Santa Chiara Regional Hospital, Trento, Italy.
Insights
Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) prostatitis causes more frequent symptomatic episodes and recurrences than other uropathogens, significantly impacting patients' quality of life and sexual function.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is often linked to Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection.
- The comparative clinical course and outcomes of CT-induced CBP versus CBP from other uropathogens remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the clinical course and outcomes of CBP caused by CT versus common uropathogens.
- To assess the impact of CT infection on the severity and recurrence of CBP symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 311 patients with CT-induced CBP (cohort A) and 524 patients with CBP from other uropathogens (cohort B).
- Utilized validated questionnaires including NIH-CPSI, IPSS, IIEF-15-EFD, PEDT, and SF-36.
- Clinical and microbiological evaluations were performed throughout a mean follow-up of 42.3 months.
Main Results:
- Patients with CT-induced CBP experienced significantly more symptomatic episodes (4.1 vs. 2.8) and shorter time to first recurrence (3.3 vs. 5.7 months).
- CT-induced CBP significantly lowered SF-36 quality of life scores at first recurrence.
- Lower IIEF-15-EFD and higher PEDT scores were observed in the CT group at follow-up, indicating worse erectile function and premature ejaculation.
Conclusions:
- CBP caused by Chlamydia trachomatis is associated with a higher frequency of symptomatic recurrences.
- CT-induced CBP has a more severe impact on patient quality of life and sexual function compared to CBP from other uropathogens.
Purpose:
The role of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection in chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is well known. What is unclear is whether there are any differences in the course or clinical outcome of the disease when the cause is CT or other uropathogens.
Materials And Methods:
A series of 311 patients affected by CBP due to CT (cohort A) was compared with a group of 524 patients affected by CBP caused by common uropathogen bacteria (cohort B). All participants completed the following questionnaires: National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index, International Prostate Symptom Score, International Index of Erectile Function-15 erectile function domain (IIEF-15-EFD), Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), and the Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey. All patients were followed with clinical and microbiological evaluations.
Results:
After a mean follow-up time of 42.3 months, the number of symptomatic episodes was significantly higher in patients in cohort A than in cohort B (4.1±1.1 vs. 2.8±0.8, p<0.001), and the mean time to first symptomatic recurrence was shorter in cohort A than in cohort B (3.3±2.3 months vs. 5.7±1.9 months, p<0.001). Moreover, scores on the SF-36 tool were significantly lower in cohort A (96.5±1.0 vs. 99.7±1.9, p<0.001) at the first symptomatic recurrence. Cohort A also showed significantly lower scores on the IIEF-15-EFD and PEDT questionnaires at the end of the follow-up period (26.8±2.9 vs. 27.3±3.3, p=0.02 and 11.5±2.3 vs. 4.5±2.8, p<0.001, respectively).
Conclusions:
Patients affected by CBP due to CT infection have a higher number of symptomatic recurrences with a more severe impact on quality of life.
