Testicular Inflammation (Orchitis): Drug Therapy

Therapeutic target

  • Freedom from symptoms
  • Avoidance of complications

Therapy recommendations

  • Bed rest; cooling and elevation of the testicle.
  • Analgesia (analgesics/painkillers) including cooling of the testicle.
  • Inflammatory (anti-inflammatory) therapy (e.g., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); also glucocorticoids, if necessary).
  • Acute orchitis (testicular inflammation).
    • Bacterial orchitis: specific antibiosis (antibiotic therapy depending on age groups, men who have sex with men (MSM) – if possible after resistance determination.
    • Viral orchitis: symptomatic therapy; to prevent bacterial superinfection and possible abscessation, antibiotics are also administered
    • Testicular involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases: high-dose glucocorticosteroids.
  • Acute epididymitis (AE; epididymitis).

    Notice: Recurrent epididymitis is described in up to 20% of cases.

  • Chronic epididymitis (CE): antimicrobial therapy based on resistance determination.

* Further see below gonorrhea (gonorrhea) and chlamydia.