title: Effect of antibiotic therapy on interleukin-6 in fresh semen and postmasturbation urine samples of patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of antibiotic therapy on interleukin (IL)-6 in fresh semen and postmasturbation urine samples of patients with chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 128 patients with CP/CPPS prospectively underwent the evaluation of IL-6 in fresh semen and postmasturbation urine samples. At 6 weeks after 4 weeks antibiotic therapy, the IL-6 levels were re-evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 128 patients, 109 (85.2%) were available for our analysis. Of the 109 patients, 72 (66.1%) met the criteria for National Institutes of Health (NIH) classification for inflammatory CP/CPPS (type IIIa) and 37 (33.9%) met the NIH criteria for noninflammatory CP/CPPS (type IIIb). Before antibiotic therapy, 86 patients (78.9%), irrespective of NIH classification, had an increased IL-6 level in fresh semen; 64 (88.9%) patients with CP/CPPS type IIIa and 22 (59.5%) with type IIIb CP/CPPS had increased IL-6 levels. After 4 weeks of therapy, a significant reduction was found in the IL-6 level, with only 44 (40.4%, P = .009) patients showing an increased IL-6 level: 34 patients with type IIIa (47.2%, P = .0000) and 10 with type IIIb (27.0%, P = .0033). An increased IL-6 level was found in the postmasturbation urine sample in 37 patients (33.9%), irrespective of NIH classification: 28 (38.9%) with type IIIa and 9 (24.3%) with type IIIb. At 6 weeks after therapy, only 3 patients (2.8%, P = .000) had an increased IL-6 level: 2 with type IIIa (2.8%, P = .0000) and 1 with type IIIb (2.7%, P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IL-6 levels had decreased significantly after antibiotic therapy in patients with CP/CPPS, suggesting a bacterial inflammatory character. The determination of IL-6 in seminal plasma and postmasturbation urine samples is useful as an addition to the diagnostic test for the patient with CP/CPPS and as an efficacy marker for therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute for Urology and Andrology, Hospital Hietzing, Vienna, Austria. igor.stancik@wienkav.at
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stancik
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plas
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Juza
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pflüger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008418:Masturbation / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D012661:Semen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D015850:Interleukin-6