[Prevalence of chronic prostatitis and its effects on male infertility].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of chronic prostatitis (CP) in male infertility patients and its effects on male infertility. METHODS: 534 male patients with complaints of male infertility were interviewed for the history of prostatic disease and underwent digital rectal examination of prostate, analysis of semen and express prostatic secretions (EPS). Bacterial culture of urine was done in 40 randomly selected inflammatory CP patients by pre- and post-message method (pre- and post-massage test, PPMT). RESULTS: 209 out of the 534 patients with male infertility were diagnosed as chronic prostatitis with a prevalence rate of 39.1%, among which 46 with CP type II and IIIA with the prevalence rate of 8.6%, 28 with CP type IIIB (5.2%), and 135 with CP type IV (25.3%) respectively. Positive bacterial culture was found in 10 out of the 40 cases of inflammatory chronic prostatitis (25.0%). The bacterial infection rate was 24.2% (8/33) in the cases of CP type IV. The prevalence rate of liquefaction dysfunction was much higher in the patients of male infertility with CP (22.7%) than in those without CP (14.3%, P < 0.05), however, it had little influence on the quality of semen, pH value, sperm density, and sperm motility. CONCLUSION: Quite common in patients with male infertility, CP prolongs the time of liquefaction, but has no other reverse influence on semen.