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Definition of Prostatitis: Classification of the National Institute of Health

Definition and classification of prostatitis by the criteria of the National Institute of Health (Krieger et al., 1999).

Category I: Acute Bacterial Prostatitis

Acute bacterial prostatitis is characterized by sudden fever, perineal and suprapubic pain, and voiding symptoms. The urine shows signs of a urinary tract infection.

Category II: Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis

Chronic (longer than three months) bacterial prostatitis with pain, voiding symptoms, and recurrent signs of bacterial infection in urine and prostatic exprimate.

Category III: Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is characterized by pain and voiding symptoms for more than three months without detection of bacterial pathogens using standard microbiological methods. The CPPS is divided into two subcategories:

Category IIIA: Inflammatory CPPS

Inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome with signs of prostate inflammation (leukospermia or white blood cells in prostatic exprimate) but without detection of bacterial pathogens using standard microbiological methods.

Category IIIB: Noninflammatory CPPS

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome without signs of prostatic inflammation (see category IIIA) and without detection of bacterial pathogens using standard microbiological methods.

Category IV: Asymptomatic Inflammatory Prostatitis

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis (leukospermia, leucocytes in expressed prostate secretions, inflammation in tissue biopsies) without pelvic pain or voiding symptoms.

References

Krieger u.a. 1999 KRIEGER, J. N. ; NYBERG, Jr. ; NICKEL, J. C.: NIH consensus definition and classification of prostatitis.
In: Jama
282 (1999), Nr. 3, S. 236–7

  Deutsche Version: NIH Klassifikation und Definitionen der Prostatitis