Orchitis

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**Orchitis**
*Classification & external resources*
ICD-10	N45
ICD-9	604

Orchitis is an often very painful condition of the testicles involving inflammation, swelling and frequently infection.

1 Symptoms
2 Causes
3 Treatment
4 External links

[edit] Symptoms

Symptoms of orchitis are similar to those of testicular torsion. These can include:

ejaculation of blood
hematuria (blood in the urine)
pain
visible swelling of a testicle or testicles

This condition must be diagnosed by a physician.

[edit] Causes

Orchitis can be related to epididymitis infection that has spread to the testicles. Orchitis is a not as common as epididymitis, but should not be taken lightly as loss of function (hypogonadism) can occur in the testicles.

A common cause for childhood orchitis is mumps.

[edit] Treatment

In most cases where orchitis is caused by epididymitis, treatment is an oral antibiotic such as cefalexin or ciprofloxacin until infection clears up.

For viral infections, antibiotics are not recommended.

In both causes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen or ibuprofen are recommended to relieve pain. Sometimes stronger pain medications in the opiate category, particularly hydrocodone, are called for and are frequently prescribed by experienced emergency room physicians.