Every modern woman realizes the importance of maintaining her he alth and well-being. You need to exercise, eat right, stay awake and rest, follow the recommendations of breast care specialists to maintain their he alth. One of the most common breast diseases is mastitis.
Mastitis: Definition
Colloquially, “breast” is a purulent inflammation of the mammary glands, occurring in both women and men, associated with impaired patency of the ducts. Doctors still do not know exactly why some women develop this pathological process, while others do not. If there are cracks and sores on the nipples, the risk of getting sick is increased, but many patients with such breast injuries have never suffered from mastitis.
Microorganisms (staphylococci) play an important role in the development of the disease, which enter the mammary gland through the damaged nipple. The most dangerous complication in this case is sepsis (blood poisoning).
Causes of occurrence
The main reason for the development of pathology is bacteria that enter the body through cracks or sores on the nipples. Microorganisms also enter through the bloodstream in chronic inflammatory diseases: tonsillitis, pyelonephritis, etc. An immune system that provides good protection will not allow pathogenic agents to enter the body or immediately destroy them, but a weak immune system is not able to fight, therefore it passes the infection. Sometimes the disease develops as a secondary infection after infection of the genitals in the postpartum period.
Types of mastitis
Breastfeeding-associated lactation mastitis is most often caused by improper expression of milk or improper attachment of the baby. These errors provoke stagnant processes and injuries of the chest, creating favorable conditions for the penetration and reproduction of microbes. Lactational mastitis according to ICD 10: N 61.
Fibrocystic form can occur in a woman at any age, it has nothing to do with breastfeeding. Sharp hormonal changes, diabetes mellitus, changes in climatic conditions, mammary gland injuries, due to which necrosis of adipose tissue develops, can provoke the development of pathology.
There is also male mastitis, which develops against a background of hormonal imbalance.
Symptoms of mastitis (lactational) and stages of its development:
- Early stage (serous mastitis). There is pain on palpation, body temperature rises,mammary glands increase in volume.
- Infiltrative mastitis develops due to improper treatment of the serous form or due to a complete lack of treatment. This stage is accompanied by fever and induration on one breast.
If treatment measures are not taken in time, purulent mastitis occurs.
Symptoms of disease
Symptomatics of the pathological process, the same for any type of disease:
- a sharp increase in body temperature to 39 ° C;
- weakness, lethargy;
- headache;
- chills and fever;
- pain on palpation of the chest;
- breast feels hot to the touch.
Symptoms of mastitis (purulent):
- high body temperature, often over 39°C;
- loss of appetite;
- insomnia, headaches;
- a light touch on the chest causes unbearable discomfort;
- increased lymph nodes in the armpit.
It is extremely important to be able to distinguish any form of the disease from lactostasis (stagnation of milk in the ducts of the mammary gland). Treatment of mastitis usually requires the use of antibiotics, while congestion may go away on its own. The symptoms of these pathologies are very similar, often even a doctor finds it difficult to make an accurate diagnosis without additional examination. The skin of the affected area in both cases is red, with mastitis the color change is somewhat more pronounced. Thickening in the chest is observed in both the first and second diseases.
Mastitis in a non-breastfeeding woman
The cause of the disease is pathogenic microorganisms. They live inthe body of each person, but under favorable conditions, they begin to multiply, provoking an inflammatory process. The main causes of breast mastitis in a non-breastfeeding woman:
- fibrocystic mastopathy;
- hormonal adjustment;
- postponed plastic surgery;
- acute infectious processes;
- penetration of bacteria through a nipple piercing (during piercing);
- penetration of infection through a boil near the nipple.
Diagnosis of the disease and methods of treatment are no different from the ways of solving the problem for a nursing woman.
Mastitis is always confirmed by ultrasound. If an abscess is found during the diagnosis, a course of antibiotics will be required. With an abscess size of more than 3 cm, surgical intervention is prescribed.
Mastitis in a breastfeeding woman
The risk group most often includes primiparous women, in whom the disease can make itself felt in the first weeks of lactation or during the period of weaning the baby from the breast. The unpreparedness of the nipples for feeding leads to microtrauma through which the infection penetrates.
The postpartum period for every woman is a weakened immune system and a change in hormonal levels, which can cause mastitis. Non-compliance with the rules of hygiene, hypothermia, difficulties with the outflow of milk, tumors in the mammary gland can provoke an illness.
When a pathology is confirmed, it is not worth stopping he althy breastfeeding for the first days. Only after an ultrasound examination and the diagnosis of "purulent mastitis" in a nursing woman, the child is weaned. You can resume the process only after recovery, which will be shown by tests for the presence of infection in milk.
What is prohibited:
- reduce fluid intake to stop lactation;
- take medication for the same purpose;
- warm, rub the site of inflammation;
- take a hot shower;
- resort to traditional methods of treatment and choose medicines on your own.
Any impact on the chest will only exacerbate the problem and lead to the growth of edema. In case of pathology, the chest should not be rubbed with a hard washcloth, crushed and squeezed.
Mastitis treatment
How to treat mastitis and the examination scheme itself is prescribed by a gynecologist. Among the first measures, a general blood test and milk culture for sterility are carried out. With obvious signs of mastitis, therapy can be started without test results, but the conclusion of laboratory experts is certainly taken into account. A temporary cessation of breastfeeding is discussed with an obstetrician-gynecologist and a pediatrician in order to choose the best option for artificial feeding for the child.
Mastitis is an infectious disease, so treatment involves taking antibiotics. Those drugs are chosen that easily penetrate the mammary glands and effectively affect the causative agent of the disease. The duration of the course, depending on the severity of the course of the disease, is 5-10 days. Forbidden to terminatelactation to express milk. Reducing lactation is an important part of the treatment, however, such activities are carried out with the use of special preparations, ointments for mastitis, and only under the supervision of a doctor. In the course of treatment, it is the stagnation of milk that is eliminated, but it is important to maintain lactation in order to resume breastfeeding.
Treatment of purulent mastitis
Purulent mastitis is treated in the surgical department. This problem is often solved surgically to avoid serious complications. With a decrease in the symptoms of the disease and their severity, repeated blood and milk tests for sterility are performed. In the absence of the pathogen, it is allowed to return to breastfeeding.
If the temperature does not drop within two days, the tests do not return to normal, the size of the inflamed area does not decrease and remains very painful, surgery is indicated.
For urgent medical advice for mastitis, there are special services to help breastfeeding mothers.
Drugs for treatment
Before treating mastitis, it is necessary to determine which antibiotics the pathogen is most sensitive to. Of great importance is the drip introduction of saline solutions and glucose, due to which the body is cleansed, intoxication is reduced, and metabolic processes are improved. Prescribed drugs for mastitis, which increase the immunity of a sick woman.
In addition to droppers and surgery, antibiotic therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs,physiotherapy. Doctors resort to help:
- Oxacillin;
- Lincomycin;
- Ciprofloxacin;
- Cefazolin.
To suppress lactation use: Parlodel, Bromkriptin, Bromergon. Such measures are necessary to prevent stagnant processes. Many women listen to the advice of their elders, so they resort to traditional medicine: they apply fresh cabbage leaves, kombucha, use an ointment for mastitis and much more.
Some consequences are irreversible, so self-medication for such serious diseases is unacceptable. It is important to realize that mastitis in women can seriously harm.
Prevention measures
Mastitis prevention does not require special rules. The woman knows all this herself, but for some reason she ignores it. The main recommendations for nursing and non-nursing are to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene, do not overcool the mammary glands, avoid rough treatment of the breasts during sexual intercourse, wear comfortable, non-constricting underwear.
Pregnant women should prepare nipples for feeding before the baby is born:
- avoid getting soap on the chest - it will dry out the skin;
- periodically wipe the halos with a damp towel;
- do not use breast cosmetics in late pregnancy;
- Oak bark decoction or black tea compresses for halos will strengthen them and prevent cracking.
Before feedingit is necessary to wipe the breast with a warm cloth, this helps to improve the outflow of milk. A hot shower is a good prevention of mastitis. Milk stasis is often formed due to improper attachment of the baby to the breast: it must capture not only the nipple, but also the entire halo. It is necessary to feed the child on demand, and not according to the regimen. You cannot be weaned without medical evidence.
Good for preventing mastitis massage towards the nipple during feeding, which improves milk flow and reduces the risk of blockage in the duct. It is important to give each feeding a different breast, freeing each from milk.
Chronic mastitis
The protracted form of the disease is significantly different from the acute stage, only the etiology of the disease has similarities. There are two types of chronic mastitis: purulent and squamous. The first develops as a result of incorrect treatment of an acute manifestation of pathology. Favorable conditions for the development of the chronic form are weakened immunity, antibiotic-resistant microflora, and a purulent process in the mammary gland.
Symptoms of chronic mastitis are not so obvious, the temperature can stay at a mark not higher than 37 ° C, the skin over the focus of inflammation thickens, discharge from the nipple appears.
Squamous mastitis
This form of the disease is characterized by the absence of abscesses. Pathology develops, as a rule, during the onset of menopause, when a serious hormonal change occurs in the woman's body. Symptoms are the same as with any inflammation: fever,reddening of the skin, prolonged infiltration, enlarged axillary lymph nodes.
The study of the inflammatory infiltrate is carried out urgently. Most often, squamous mastitis requires surgery. In any case, the doctor knows how to treat mastitis, it is only important to seek medical help on time.
Always stay he althy
He althy lifestyle - walks in the fresh air, rational nutrition, proper sleep, taking vitamin complexes recommended for nursing mothers - these are activities that help strengthen the immune system. Hygienic procedures should be carried out in the morning and in the evening, but without the use of aggressive cosmetics that dry the skin.
Mastitis is a dangerous disease that threatens the life and he alth of a woman. At the same time, the child suffers because he is deprived of the opportunity to receive the necessary vitamins and minerals with breast milk. Therefore, it is extremely important to take care of yourself and your he alth.
