Q1. What is orchitis?

Orchitis is an inflammation of one or both the testicles.

Q2. What causes orchitis?

Causes of orchitis are:

-mumps (it’s a viral infection which mainly affects the parotid glands)

-Bacterial infections

-Urinary tract infections and

-sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea, chlamydia can result in orchitis.

Q3. What are orchitis and epididymitis?

Epididymitis (an infection of the tube that carries semen out of the testicles) and epididymo-orchitis (inflammation of epididymus and testicles) and are caused by a bacterial infection. Infection can either result from surgery, insertion of a catheter into the bladder, or the spread of infections from elsewhere in the urinary tract and sometimes by sexually transmitted disease.

Q4. How long inflammation of testicles lasts for?

It takes 2-3 days to few days, but if left untreated it may last for many days.

Q5. Is orchitis painful?

Yes, in orchitis pain as well as swelling is there in one or both the testicles.

Q6. Can orchitis be cured?

Yes, Bacterial orchitis is treated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications.

Q7. Can epididymitis be cured completely?

Yes, epididymitis is curable.

Q8. Can epididymitis cause permanent damage?

Yes, Chronic epididymitis can lead to permanent damage of the epididymis and testicles.

Q9. Can epididymitis leads to infertility?

Yes, chronic epididymitis if left untreated produces scar tissue which block the sperms from leaving the testicles, therefore causes infertility.

Q10. What tests are required to detect orchitis?

-Ultrasound was done to rule out testicular torsion.

-Ultrasound with color Doppler was done to check blood flow to the testicles.

-Nuclear scan of the testicles was also done to detect orchitis.

Complications:

-Formation of scrotal abscess

-Epididymitis

-Testicular atrophy

-Infertility

-Testicular tortion

For more information, you can visit AAFP and Wikipedia.