Generally, the most common cause of epididymitis is bacterial infection, often originating in urine, the prostate, or the ejaculatory duct.
Tuberculosis:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis can present itself as epididymitis.
Tuberculosis is a chronic infection of the lungs caused by the
mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease is spread through airborne
droplets expelled from an infected individual’s mouth through coughing,
sneezing, or spitting. Although it has become increasingly associated
with immune suppression in AIDS-infected men, this form of epididymitis
is more commonly found in areas where tuberculosis is still a public
health problem.
Vasectomy: Vasectomy
is a surgical procedure for male sterilization and permanent birth
control. During the procedure, the male vasa deferentia are severed and
then sealed in a manner so as to prevent sperm from entering into the
seminal stream and thereby prevent fertilization from occurring. Chronic
scrotal pain is the most common post-vasectomy complication. Other
causes of the pain include congestive epididymitis, pain from the nerve
ending at the incision.
Certain medications
like heart rhythm drug amiodarone can cause epididymitis. Amiodarone is
an antiarrhythmic agent used for various types of cardiac dysrhythmias,
and ventricular andatrial. Amiodarone is sometimes responsible for
epididymitis, a condition of the scrotum normally associated with
bacterial infections but which can also occur as a non-bacterial
inflammatory condition. Amiodarone accumulates in the head of the organ
and can cause unilateral or bilateral inflammation.
Certain
diseases like Behcet’s disease also can cause epididymitis. Behcet’s
disease is a rare immune-mediated small-vessel system that often
presents with mucous membrane ulceration and ocular problems. It is an
autoimmune condition that can cause to develop mouth and genital sores
along with other symptoms. Behçet’s disease can cause male infertility,
either as a result of the condition itself or of a side effect of
concomitant medication such as colchicine, which is known to lower sperm
count.
