OBJECTIVETo summarize the clinical features of chronic epididymitis (CE) for the purpose of improving its diagnosis and treatment.

METHODSAccording to the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected 63 CE patients in this study, obtained the data on their symptoms, signs, sexual activities, histories of related diseases, impact on quality of life and CE symptom indexes (CESI) by interrogation, physical examination and questionnaires, assessed their correlation with CE, and summarized the clinical features of the disease.

RESULTSThe case group showed a similarity to the controls in age, ethnicity, education, smoking and drinking, but significantly larger numbers of sexual partners and patients with a history of urinary tract infections than the latter. Epididymal swelling and tenderness were found in 92.1%, and scrotal pain in 75.5% of the CE patients. CESI and the score of the impact on quality of life were 7.9 +/- 4.6 and 12.5 +/- 5.6 in the case group, significantly higher than in the controls (4.4 +/- 3.2 and 8.5 +/- 4.2) (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe significant signs of chronic epididymitis are epididymal swelling and tenderness, which affect the patient's quality of life. The association of chronic epididymitis with the number of sexual partners and history of urinary tract infections are yet to be further confirmed by larger-sample studies.