This is a very common condition, especially in patients hailing from UP and Bihar. In olden days, I used to describe it as ‘dhatu’ syndrome.

Later, I was convinced that the commonest cause of this syndrome was chronic prostatitis. But in addition to white discharge from the urethra, the symptoms of burning of urine, increased frequency or urgency of urine made me describe the above symptoms due to urethritis which are comparable to an irritable colon syndrome. Lately, it has been realised that the patients of chronic prostatitis develop prostatodynia, which is the cause of all the above urine symptoms. Prostatodynia can continue for months and years inspite of treatment of chronic prostatitis being effectively carried out.