Retrospective Data Analysis of Patients with Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: Evaluation of the Relationship between the Presence of Microorganisms and Symptom Severity

Abstract

Background: Chronic prostatitis (CP)/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is a prevalent condition that significantly affects patients’ quality of life, presenting with diverse symptoms and multifactorial etiologies that remain incompletely understood. The Urinary, Psychosocial, Organ-specific, Infection, Neurologic and Tenderness (UPOINT) system categorises CP/CPPS symptoms into six domains, providing a framework for evaluating severity. Emerging evidence suggests that the presence of microorganisms in prostatic fluid may influence symptom severity. This study aimed to investigate the association between microorganisms in prostatic fluid and the severity of symptoms in patients with CP/CPPS by utilising the UPOINT system for classification.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients diagnosed with CPPS. The data collected included demographics, International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS), inflammatory and noninflammatory symptoms, International Index of Erectile Function scores and presence of microorganisms in prostatic fluid. Laboratory tests for 26 microorganisms, including microscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction testing (Androflor), were conducted by a blinded expert.

Results: A total of 112 patients aged 20–60 years were included in the study. The study involved patients with a mean age of 37.90 ± 8.10 years and a mean symptom duration of 15.40 ± 8.20 months. The average I-PSS was 8.56 ± 4.10. The reported predominant symptoms were lower abdominal pain, dysuria and urinary frequency. Microorganisms were detected in the prostatic fluid of 29.46% of patients. A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between the presence of microorganisms and I-PSS scores (r = 0.576, p < 0.001). Despite its statistical significance, the clinical relevance of this correlation is limited and requires careful interpretation.

Conclusions: This study identified a significant association between microorganisms in prostatic fluid and symptom severity in patients with CP/CPPS, indicating the need for further research to validate these findings and improve patient care.

Key words

chronic prostatitis / International Prostate Symptom Score / microorganisms / prostatic fluid / multiplex PCR