Acute infectious prostatitis is the easiest of the three conditions to diagnose because it comes on suddenly and the symptoms require quick medical attention. Not only will you have urinary problems, but you may also have a fever and pain and, frequently, blood in your urine. Chronic infectious prostatitis is associated with repeated urinary tract infections, while noninfectious prostatitis is not. In fact, if you do not have a urinary tract infection or a history of one, you probably do not have chronic infectious prostatitis. Other symptoms, if any, may include urinary problems such as the need to urinate frequently, a sense of urgency, burning or painful urination, and possibly perineal and low-back pain.
Noninfectious prostatitis is more common than infectious prostatitis.
It may cause no symptoms, or its symptoms may mimic those of chronic infectious prostatitis. If you have noninfectious prostatitis, however, it is unlikely that you will have urinary tract infections. Because the treatment is different for the three types of prostatitis, the correct diagnosis is very important. Noninfectious prostatitis will not clear up with antimicrobial treatment, and infectious prostatitis will not go away without such treatment. In addition, it is important to make sure that your symptoms are not caused by urethritis or some other condition that may lead to permanent bladder or kidney damage.