3How is Acute Prostatitis Diagnosed?
When it comes to diagnosis, it’s inevitable to be asked about your medical history. A doctor will conduct a physical examination like a digital rectal examination (DRE). Your prostate is located in front of your rectum, so your doctor can easily feel it when he inserts a lubricated and gloved finger into your rectum for diagnosis. Your prostate is swollen and tender when your prostatitis is acute so that you will not feel pain as long as your doctor is gentle enough. Your doctor massages your prostate to squeeze a little fluid into your urethra during a DRE. A sample of this fluid will be collected for testing, and then laboratory technicians can check it for signs of infection. Your doctor may also feel the lymph nodes in your groin, and these lymph nodes may be enlarged and tender.
Apart from DRE, doctors may also conduct additional tests, such as:
- A blood culture to rule out bacteria in your blood.
- A urinalysis or a urine culture to test your urine for blood, white cells, or bacteria.
- A urethral swab to test for gonorrhea or chlamydia.
- Urodynamic tests to learn if you have problems emptying your bladder.
- A cystoscopy to examine the inside of your urethra and bladder for signs of infection.
