Can acute prostatitis cause systemic symptoms such as fever and chills?

Yes, absolutely. Below is the answer prepared for you:

Can Acute Prostatitis Cause Systemic Symptoms Like Fever and Chills?

Yes, and this is a very typical and common manifestation of acute prostatitis.

You can think of it like this—it's somewhat similar to how we get a fever when we have a cold.

Why does this happen? Here’s an analogy:

The prostate is a "small stronghold": The prostate is an organ in the male body. When bacteria (the "enemies") suddenly invade this area in large numbers and multiply rapidly, it triggers "acute prostatitis."
The body sounds a "highest alert": Your immune system doesn't mess around. When it detects a large-scale enemy invasion, it immediately activates its highest level of defense. This "highest alert" is a systemic response.
Fever and chills:
- Fever: This is the body actively raising its temperature to suppress bacterial activity through "heat," while also boosting the fighting power of immune cells (your "soldiers").
- Chills and shivering: Before your temperature rises, you may feel extremely cold and even shiver uncontrollably. This happens because the body is rapidly contracting muscles to generate a lot of heat, quickly raising the temperature to the desired level. So, feeling intensely cold first, followed by a high fever, is a classic process in acute infections.

Besides fever and chills, what other symptoms might you feel?

Because this is a "full-scale war" within the body, besides local symptoms (like frequent urination, urgency, painful urination, or a dull ache/pressure in the lower abdomen or perineum), you might also experience:

Body aches: Similar to a bad flu, muscles and joints may feel sore and weak.
Headache and fatigue: Feeling generally unwell, listless, and extremely tired.
Loss of appetite: Not feeling like eating.

To summarize:

Acute prostatitis = bacterial infection + intense immune response.
Fever, chills, and body aches are signals from your immune system fighting the bacteria at full strength—these are systemic symptoms.
This is quite different from chronic prostatitis. Chronic prostatitis usually has milder symptoms, primarily local discomfort, pain, and urinary issues, and rarely causes intense systemic reactions like fever.

The most important point:

If you suddenly develop fever and chills, along with frequent urination, urgency, painful urination, or pain in the lower abdomen or perineum, do not try to tough it out or treat it like a common cold.

You must see a doctor immediately, urgently, and without delay (usually at the hospital's urology department or emergency room)!

Acute prostatitis is a medical emergency requiring prompt antibiotic treatment to control the infection. Delaying treatment can lead to more serious problems, such as a prostate abscess or even sepsis, which can be dangerous.

Hope this helps!