There are a few medically induced causes of prostatitis, prostate biopsy being one of them. A small percentage of men develop acute bacterial prostatitis after having a prostate biopsy. A prostate biopsy is one of the procedures a physician usually recommends when prostate cancer is suspected.
Because the prostate biopsy procedure is done by passing a needle through the rectum to collect a specimen from the prostate, the needle can help transport bacteria from the bowel into the prostate, bladder, or even blood stream. The most common bacterium that causes acute bacterial prostatitis after a prostate biopsy is Escherichia coli (E. coli). Risk of infection goes up significantly if a cleansing enema is not performed prior to the procedure.
Another medical procedure that causes of prostatitis is insertion of a device (e.g., a catheter). When a man has a catheter or a cystoscope inserted into his urethra, the risk for acute bacterial prostatitis goes up.
Can’t this risk of prostatitis be prevented by prescribing antibiotics?
Doctors usually do prescribe antibiotics before performing a prostate biopsy procedure, but some men are resistant to the drugs, especially if they have used those same medications before having the procedure. This is especially common with fluoroquinolones such as Cipro (ciprofloxacin) because most of the cases of prostatitis resulting from prostate biopsy involve fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. Cipro is a commonly prescribed antibiotic for prostate biopsy. For patients who have already taken Cipro, it is best to use a different antibiotic. Better choices to take might be a cephalosporin or aminoglycoside.
If you have an upcoming prostate biopsy, be sure to consider your medical history and let your doctor know which antibiotics you have taken. That way he or she can help prevent infections by prescribing an antibiotic that you may not have developed a resistance to.
Even though antibiotics are a common bacterial prostatitis treatment, you might consider also reviewing Dr. Geo’s prostatitis NPAT treatment program, the UPOINT System for Treatment, or natural prostatitis treatments such as phytotherapy and supplements. You may also find relief from your prostatitis symptoms through employing alternative treatments such as heat therapy, sitz bath, probiotics (especially if you have taken several rounds of antibiotics), and others.
