Prostatitis, especially chronic prostatitis, is a common disease of the urogenital system in men. In urology and men’s outpatient clinics, about 25% of patients are treated for prostatitis. The disease is most common in adults, adolescents are less likely to occur, the elderly more due to prostate hyperplasia leading to urinary tract obstruction, easy to complicate prostatitis. So what is the prostate? What does it do? Anatomy and physiology of the prostate gland The prostate gland is clinically important due to its anatomical location. When a man reaches the age of 45, some of them begin to shrink, but most of them (glandular tissue) become enlarged, affecting the urinary function. The veins of the prostate gland converge with the veins of the penis at the pubic prostate area and become the prostatic venous plexus. This venous plexus is prone to bleed when doing surgery, and more attention should be paid to it. The prostatic venous plexus is closely related to the hemorrhoidal vein, which is a pathway for prostate cancer metastasis and also an important pathway for liver metastasis. As between prostate venous plexus and epidural venous plexus, there exists a venous traffic branch without valve, so it is a pathway for vertebral metastasis of prostate cancer. Therefore, understanding the physiology and anatomy of the prostate is very helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical diseases. Positional characteristics of the prostate gland: the prostate gland is a male-specific reproductive organ, which resides deep in the male pelvic cavity. Among the male reproductive organs, the prostate is the largest accessory gland. Its shape and size is very much like a chestnut, with the bottom up and the tip down, light red and slightly gray, wrapped around the beginning of the male urethra, weighing about 15g. The prostate is composed of muscle fibers and glands, with the glands accounting for about 70% and muscle tissue accounting for about 30% of the prostate scaffolding tissue. The surface of the prostate follicle has a layer of lipid-like membrane, forming a blood-prostate barrier, making it difficult for most antibacterial drugs to pass through the membrane and enter the gland to achieve an effective blood concentration. This is one of the most important reasons why chronic prostatitis is so difficult to treat. The relationship between the prostate and neighboring organs: the urethra passes through the center of the prostate, and the prostate is encircled around the urethra; the right and left pairs of seminal vesicles are also the accessory glands of the male reproductive system, such as the size of a peanut-like seminal vesicle glands are located in the upper part of the back of the prostate; the vas deferens originating from the epididymis and the seminal vesicles are converging to become the ejaculatory ducts of the right and left, and then passes through the prostate, and the common opening of the urethra inside the prostate gland. Based on the above anatomical features, chronic prostatitis is often associated with seminal vesiculitis, vasculitis, epididymitis, and posterior urethritis, and so on, which affects each other, thus leading to chronic prostatitis. Prostate fluid discharge difficult: due to the location of the prostate is very deep, the secretion of the prostate fluid, through the prostatic duct into the urethra, and some people’s prostatic duct and urethra at right angles or oblique into the urethra, therefore, the secretion of the prostate fluid is not easy to discharge and stagnant; especially when the prostate gland is infected, inflammation, congestion, secretion increase, it is easy to form pus plug and fill the prostatic duct, resulting in drainage is not smooth! The bacteria are not easily eliminated from the prostate, and the inflammation is not easy to subside. Even if the bacteria have been killed, they are not easily discharged from the body and continue to remain in the body to produce harm, and when the body’s resistance is lowered, it will be resurrected again. The actual fact is that the actual prostatitis can be a lot more than just a problem, but it’s also a problem that can be solved with the help of a lot of other people. The prostate physiological function of the special characteristics of the prostate Although the prostate is a bullet, but it is not only in the male urinary system occupies an important position, but also in the male reproductive role has a special role. Roughly, it has the following roles. Exocrine function: the prostate gland is the largest parasympathetic organ in men, and the prostatic fluid it secretes is involved in the composition of semen, accounting for about 1/3 of the total semen. Therefore, if there is a lack of prostate fluid in the semen, the quality and function of the sperm will be seriously affected and there will be problems in fertility. Therefore, prostate fluid is crucial for male fertility. Clinically, it is common to find that some of the male infertility associated with semen abnormalities are related to chronic prostatitis. Endocrine function: The prostate gland is rich in 5α-reductase, which can convert testosterone into the more physiologically active dihydrotestosterone. It plays an important role in the treatment of BPH. Clinically, 5α-reductase can be blocked in order to reduce the production of dihydrotestosterone, thus making the hyperplastic prostate atrophy, which has a certain effect on the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia. Control of urinary function: the prostate gland is involved in the formation of the internal sphincter of the urethra, when we want to urinate, accompanied by the contraction of the forced urinary muscles, the internal sphincter is relaxed, the urine can be discharged from the bladder smoothly. Therefore, chronic prostatitis patients often have urethral symptoms, such as frequent urination, burning sensation in the urethra, and even painful urination. Transportation function: prostate parenchyma has the urethra and two ejaculatory ducts passing through it. When ejaculation occurs, the muscle contraction of prostate and seminal vesicle glands can press the contents of vas deferens and seminal vesicle glands into the urethra through the ejaculatory ducts, which can be discharged out of the body. Imagine if chronic prostatitis occurs bloody semen, often may be with the coexistence of seminal vesiculitis. When combined with inflammation of the vas deferens, spicy pain in the urethra during ejaculation can occur. These four important functions of the prostate gland play an important role in the body.