Levofloxacin and Its Effective Use in the Management of Bacterial Prostatitis

Introduction Prostatitis affects a large number of men of all ages and ethnicities, making it a significant, but often overlooked global healthcare issue. In fact its impact may be huge, with one out of every two men estimated to suffer from prostatitis symptoms at some time in their life. This is reflected in statistics that show that in the United States alone approximately 2 million medical office visits per year are reported for this condition (1–3). The wide impact of prostatitis is supported by evidence from a range of sources. Bartoletti et al. (4) reported that prostatitis is the most frequently diagnosed illness in men under the age of 0, while other researchers have shown that, globally, 10–14% all men will be affected by prostatitis ( , ). Due to the severe medical and social symptomatology, prostatitis has a significant negative impact on quality of life (7), associated as it is with sexual dysfunction including decreased desire, erectile problems and premature ejaculation (4). An increased incidence of chronic prostatitis is associated with predisposing factors, such as smoking, a high-calorie diet with low consumption of fruit and vegetables, and slow digesAddress for correspondence Kurt G. Naber, MD, PhD Bickleder 44c, D-94315 Straubing, Germany Phone: 49-9421-33369 E-mail: [email protected] tion. However, the mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of this disease remain unclear (4).