Although chronic prostatitis is extremely frequent, there had been very vague analyses and solutions with regard to this disease and the treatment is still challenging. An antibiotic is usually given for a longer period of time, 4-12 weeks. For years, the cranberry(Vaccinium macrocarpon) has been widely used to prevent and treat urinary tract infections, because cranberry has been shown to interfere with bacterial adherence to urothelium. The main objective of this investigation was to verify whether or not the cranberry juice is capable of the complementary therapy for chronic prostatitis.

The selected subjects were 69 patients diagnosed with NIH-category IIIb chronic prostatitis between the periods of March to October, 2004. The first-line treatment was daily 3 times intake of levofloxacin 100mg for 4 weeks. Randomly selected 34 patients were prescribed with 150ml of cranberry juice intake, two times a day for 12 weeks and the remainder 35 patients were managed conservatively only after ceasing the antibiotic. The patients were reevaluated 4 and 12 weeks later.

At the baseline stage, NIH-CPSI scores were 25.8±7.4 and 25.4±7.0 for the cranberry juice group and the conservative group. 4 weeks after the antibiotic treatment, they were 16.91±4.5 and 17.8±4.8 and thus implied the improvements without difference between the two groups(p>0.05). For the conservative group, there were 6 patients who experienced deteriorations 8 to 12 weeks later and as the NIH-CPSI scores reached 19.2±7.3, thus there were no significant improvements compared to baseline(p>0.05). Within the cranberry juice group, there was no patient with symptoms worsened and the NIH-CPSI scores at 12 weeks reached 13.5±3.9 with significant improvements compared to baseline(p<0.05). All the patients did not experience any side effects due to the cranberry juice intake.

Under the present circumstances of proposing the distinctive standard and providing a suggestion to replace the antibiotics for the treatment of chronic prostatitis, the short timed and limited use of the antibiotics accompanied by the cranberry juice demonstrated sufficient possibility and effectiveness. Thus the cranberry juice could be appointed as the complementary therapy in chronic prostatitis without serious adverse effects.

Chronic prostatitis is difficult to treat and unintelligible disease with multi-factorial etiology, various pathophysiology and several clinical manifestations rather than simple single disease. Therefore, it is thought to be important successful treatment and courtesy call that grasp whether some elements influence incidence of disease. The authors wished to search factors which influence the development and the progress of chronic prostatitis.

From January, 2004 to October, 184 patients who undergo diagnosis as chronic prostatitis were selected, and chose healthy 40 men for comparative analysis to control group. Subjects were investigated for the status of profession and form of work, driving, motorcycle or bicycle utilization, drinking, smoking and sex, and the style of behavior and diet.

Average age of chronic prostatitis(CP) group and control group was no difference. The classification of specific profession did not show relevant difference, but sedentary desk workers were much excellently than CP group(40.0%) by control group(53.8%)(p<0.05). Driver's ratio more than 1 day 1 hour was high in CP group than control group(22.5%) by 28.3%(p<0.05). A person who ride motorcycle or bicycle did not show relevant difference(p>0.05). A person who ejaculate more than once a week through any manner, was less CP group(51.1%) than control group(62.5%), but showed high ratio by person with ejaculation less than 1-2 time a month and daily ejaculation in CP group(p<0.05). A person who drinks more than once a week was many in CP group(p<0.05), and also a person who drink more than 1 bottle of soju expressively high ratio show in CP group(p<0.05), In dietary life habit, CP group showed high ratio by salty food preference degree(p<0.05).

Some factors look that have important effect in disease change for the worse progress of chronic prostatitis. Therefore, it is thought should be gone side by side that reform this detecting eating habit and lifestyle that can exacerbate the disease along with general medication in treatment.