Orchitis
Inflammation of the testicles
title: "Orchitis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["inflammations", "testicle-disorders", "mumps", "men's-health"] description: "Inflammation of the testicles" topic_path: "general/inflammations" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchitis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Inflammation of the testicles ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox medical condition (new)"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Orchitis |
| synonyms | Orchiditis |
| pronounce | , |
| field | Urology |
| :: |
| name = Orchitis | synonyms = Orchiditis | image = | caption = | pronounce = , | field = Urology | symptoms = | complications = | onset = | duration = | types = | causes = | risks = | diagnosis = | differential = | prevention = | treatment = | medication = | prognosis = | frequency = | deaths =
Orchitis is inflammation of the testicles. It can also involve swelling, pains, and frequent infection, particularly of the epididymis, as in epididymitis. The term is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις meaning "testicle"; same root as orchid.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of orchitis are similar to those of testicular torsion. These can include:
- hematospermia (blood in the semen)
- hematuria (blood in the urine)
- severe pain
- visible swelling of a testicle or testicles and often the inguinal lymph nodes on the affected side.
Causes
Orchitis can be related to epididymitis infection that has spread to the testicles (then called "epididymo-orchitis"), sometimes caused by the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia and gonorrhea. It has also been reported in cases of males infected with brucellosis. Orchitis can also be seen during active mumps, particularly in adolescent boys and girls.
Ischemic orchitis may result from damage to the blood vessels of the spermatic cord during inguinal herniorrhaphy, and may in the worst event lead to testicular atrophy.
Diagnosis
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Ultrasonography_of_orchitis.jpg" caption="[[Doppler ultrasound]] of the scrotum, in the [[axial plane]], showing orchitis (as part of [[epididymo-orchitis]]) as [[hypoechogenic]] and slightly heterogenic left testicular tissue (right in image), with an increased blood flow. There is also swelling of peritesticular tissue."] ::
- Blood – ESR high
- Urine – Cultural & Sensitivity test
- Ultrasound scanning
Treatment
In most cases where orchitis is caused by epididymitis, treatment is an oral antibiotic such as cefalexin or ciprofloxacin until the infection clears up. 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 are called for and are frequently prescribed by experienced emergency department physicians.
Other animals
Orchitis is not rare in bulls and rams. It has also been described in roosters.
References
References
- {{DorlandsDict. six/000075643. orchitis
- ''Brucellosis in Humans and Animals'' World Health Organization Publication number WHO/CDS/EPR/2006.7 [https://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/Brucellosis.pdf]{{page needed. (November 2014)
- (August 2009). "European Hernia Society guidelines on the treatment of inguinal hernia in adult patients". Hernia.
- (December 2008). "Bacterial orchitis and epididymo-orchitis in broiler breeders". Avian Pathology.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::