non-bacterial prostatitis
Chapter: 17
Non-bacterial prostatitis clearly is the most common of the prostatitis syndromes; its cause is unknown. Men with non-bacterial prostatitis have abnormal numbers of inflammatory cells in their prostatic expressates, but no causative infectious agent can be found by culture or other means. Some researchers believe that non-bacterial prostatitis is an autoimmune disease of the prostate. The diagnosis of non-bacterial prostatitis is confirmed only by exclusion of other specific forms of prostatitis.