Allopurinol for chronic prostatitis.

Chronic prostatitis is a condition that causes men substantial morbidity through the associated constellation of urinary symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and pelvic pain. The etiology of chronic prostatitis is unknown, and the many and varied treatments for chronic prostatitis reflect in part this knowledge gap. One novel etiologic theory is that the reflux of urine into prostatic ducts causes prostatic inflammation via high concentrations of purine and pyrimidine base-containing metabolites in prostatic secretions. This theory has led to the use of allopurinol for treatment of chronic prostatitis in hopes of lowering prostatic levels of uric acid and improving symptoms.