If left untreated, patients with acute bacterial prostatitis may progress to develop prostatic abscess, septicemia, urosepsis, and urinary retention.^[1][2] Patients with untreated chronic prostatitis may develop chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, infertility, urinary frequency and urgency, and recurrent urinary tract infections.^[2][3]Complete recovery without sequelae is usual among patients with acute prostatitis. Patients with chronic prostatitis have a gradual recovery and relapse is common.^[4]

If left untreated, patients with acute bacterial prostatitis may progress to develop:^[1][2][5]

• Prostatic abscess
• Septicemia
• Urosepsis
• Urinary retention
• Chronic prostatitis

If left untreated, patients with chronic prostatitis may progress to develop:^[2][3]

• Chronic pelvic pain
• Sexual dysfunction
• Infertility
• Difficulty in urinating: frequency, urgency, dysuria
• Recurrent urinary tract infections

Common complications of prostatitis include^{[1][2][3][6][7]}

• Urinary retention
• Sepsis
• Prostatic abscess
• BPH
• Prostatic cancer
• Pelvic pain
• Metastatic infections such as pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis
• Erectile dysfunction
• Infertility

Patients with acute prostatitis usually recover completely, without a sequelae. Patients with chronic prostatitis gradually recover over time and with time, the rate of relapse is high, reaching up to 50%.^[4]