Chronic abacterial prostatitis--a urological chronic pain syndrome?

Chronic abacterial prostatitis has all the hallmarks of a chronic pain syndrome without having been identified as such, either in the urology literature or in the pain literature. This review proposes that this common urological syndrome merits consideration as a 'chronic pain syndrome', as it is commonly defined. The presentation of this syndrome in PAIN results from the unlikely collaboration of a clinical psychologist and a urologist with an interest in exploring unconventional assessment and treatment recommendations for the patients he saw in a university-based Prostatitis Clinic. In addition to providing a review of the chronic prostatitis syndrome as it appears in the urology literature, we surveyed the journal, PAIN, from 1985 through 1995 to identify the 'body parts' specifically named in titles of articles on non-malignant pain. There was only one case study report on male genital or urological pain. Similar to other more commonly accepted chronic pain syndromes, chronic abacterial prostatitis has the following characteristics: pain as a primary complaint, low correspondence between symptoms and medical findings, a history of multiple, unsuccessful treatments. The consequence of recognizing this very common urological syndrome as a chronic pain syndrome is that a large group of symptomatic men for whom urologists have little to offer stands to benefit from a different perspective. Experience with other chronic pain syndromes, including back pain and headaches; has shown that interventions based on a multidisciplinary approach can prove complementary to traditional 'organ system' approaches to treatment of these frustrated, and frustrating, patients.