Patient's question:
I feel like I might have epididymitis. I noticed that the skin of my testicles is particularly red and seems a bit swollen. It also hurts when I touch it, and there's some discomfort inside. These symptoms have persisted for a week without any improvement. I'm still young and haven't even been married yet. I'm really scared. Could you please tell me: How is epididymitis treated?Doctor's answer:
Epididymitis is a common disease among male genital infections, predominantly affecting middle-aged and young adults. Since the pathogenic bacteria are gram-negative bacilli and gram-positive cocci, it is also referred to as non-specific epididymitis. The causative organisms rarely spread through the bloodstream or lymphatic system; instead, they are often secondary to prostatitis, seminal vesiculitis, or urethritis. The inflammation is usually unilateral. It needs to be differentiated from epididymal tuberculosis and filariasis. The former is characterized by localized inflammation in the tail of the epididymis in the early stages, with the boundary between the epididymis and testis disappearing later, and the skin often adhering to the epididymis, even leading to recurrent sinuses. The latter involves thickening of the scrotal skin, and microfilariae can be detected in blood samples taken at night. The treatment of this condition often does not yield satisfactory results with simple anti-inflammatory therapy alone, so it is generally recommended to use antibiotic iontophoresis and seminal vesiculography.