Mastopathy and mastitis: different diseases or the same thing

Breast diseases are one of the most serious problems of a modern woman, something that almost every third woman on the planet faces. Even minor changes can lead to the development of oncological processes. You should not take risks by independently assessing the degree of their harmlessness.

Regular visits to a gynecologist-mammologist and mammography and ultrasound of the mammary glands will help prevent trouble.

Highly qualified MedicCity specialists have extensive experience in diagnosing and treating gynecological and mammological diseases, and our unique equipment allows us to identify pathological changes at the earliest stages.

Every woman who values ​​her health should undergo examination on a new generation Voluson 10 ultrasound scanner, which currently has no analogues in Russia!

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Ultrasound examination of the mammary glands

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Ultrasound examination of the mammary glands

Breast cancer ranks first in Russia both in the structure of the incidence of malignant neoplasms in the female population and in the structure of mortality from such diseases.

It is important to know that breast cancer detected at an early stage is curable in 94% of cases! Therefore, it is impossible to overestimate the role of preventive diagnostics (at the preclinical stage)!

There are hereditary and sporadic types of breast cancer. What does it mean?

If the patient has close relatives with breast or ovarian cancer, she is recommended to be tested for the so-called BRCA-1, BRCA-2 genes (or “Angelina Jolie gene”). Women with positive test results are at risk and should undergo more frequent and thorough examination of the mammary glands and ovaries (including preventive surgery).

Here the opinions of scientists differ somewhat. In our country, doctors tend to observe more than to carry out preventive removal of mammary glands and ovaries.

Doctors in Western countries are often inclined to carry out preventive surgery with simultaneous mammoplasty and dose adjustment of replacement sex hormones after removal of the ovaries.

It must be remembered that with a positive test, the risk of developing breast cancer during your lifetime ranges from 50 to 85%, and the risk of developing ovarian cancer ranges from 13 to 46%.

To prevent breast cancer, mammography (an X-ray examination of the mammary glands, which should be performed in the first phase of the menstrual cycle or immediately after menstruation in women over 40 years of age) and ultrasound examination of the mammary glands are used primarily. Ultrasound diagnostics is used up to the age of 40 years, and also as an additional method to mammography if it is necessary to clarify certain conditions. Also, as a clarifying study, MRI of the mammary glands is sometimes used according to indications determined by the doctor.

• In addition, palpation examination during an examination by a gynecologist is very important for early detection of the disease.
• Nowadays, great importance is also attached to the method of self-examination (independent palpation of the mammary glands, which must be performed monthly after menstruation, when the swelling of the gland does not prevent the detection of a lump).
• Swelling, heaviness and pain in the breasts, discharge from the nipples when pressed, asymmetry, detection of painful lumps under the breasts or in the breasts - this is a reason to consult a mammologist.
• Timely treatment of breast diseases often allows one to avoid surgical intervention.

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Ultrasound examination of the mammary glands

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Diagnosis of breast diseases

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Diagnosis of breast diseases

Reasons why you need to visit a gynecologist-mammologist:

• breast injury;
• hereditary predisposition (oncological diseases in close relatives);
• painful lump in the mammary gland;
• nipple discharge;
• hormonal and endocrine disorders;
• concomitant or previous disease of the genital organs;
• abortion.

Types of breast diseases

All pathologies of the mammary glands can be divided into three large groups: diseases of an inflammatory nature (mastitis), benign tumors (mastopathy) and oncological diseases (breast cancer).

Mastitis

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that usually appears during breastfeeding. The causative agents of the disease are infections that entered the gland through cracks in the nipple (streptococci, enterobacteria, staphylococci, etc.). And the appearance of stagnation of milk in the glands further intensifies the inflammatory process.

The disease is accompanied by acute pain in the chest, redness of the skin, swelling and distension of the mammary glands, the appearance of a lump in the chest, chills and high fever. There may also be discharge from the nipples and enlarged lymph nodes in the armpits.

The first “pre-mastitis” level of the disease is lactostasis. It is characterized by stagnation of milk in one of the lobes of the mammary glands. If lactostasis is not treated for several days, then after some time the disease turns into mastitis.

Mastopathy

Mastopathy is a benign pathology of the mammary gland. According to medical statistics, every second woman of childbearing age suffers from mastopathy. The appearance of the disease is mainly associated with hormonal disorders.

In older women, a painful lump in the breast may indicate the appearance of a malignant tumor.

General symptoms of mastopathy:

• dull, aching pain in the mammary glands on the eve of the menstrual cycle (mastodynia or mastalgia);
• transparent, whitish, greenish, much less often bloody discharge from the nipples;
• painful lump in the right or left breast.

There are several types of disease:

• diffuse mastopathy (appearance of nodules and compactions in the mammary gland);
• nodular mastopathy (the formation increases in size, can be the size of a pea or a walnut, the lump in the breast hurts regardless of the menstrual cycle);
• fibrocystic mastopathy (manifests in the form of small formations and cystic nodes filled with liquid contents: cyst, breast fibroadenoma, etc.).

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Alpha ST (General Electric) - X-ray mammography machine

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Diagnosis of breast diseases

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Diagnosis of breast diseases

Methods for diagnosing breast diseases

The first step in diagnosing her condition should be taken by the woman herself. Before going to bed, you should regularly, carefully and carefully palpate your mammary glands. And if you notice a painful lump under the breast, you need to urgently make an appointment with a mammologist.

Sometimes it is quite difficult to distinguish between mastopathy and malignant pathologies of the mammary gland. In such cases, instrumental diagnostics will come to your aid: ultrasound, biopsy, mammography.

Ultrasound of the mammary glands

Ultrasound of the mammary glands is an informative, accessible, safe research technique. An ultrasound examination allows you to see the structure of breast tissue and evaluate existing tumors and cysts. If a suspicious growth is detected, the doctor may take a biopsy from the growth and examine it more thoroughly.

Mammography

Breast mammography - breast diagnostics using minimal doses of X-rays. This is one of the main methods for studying breast tumors.

At the MedicCity clinic you can undergo pain-free mammography using the modern Alpha ST General Electric machine.

Treatment of breast diseases

Treatment of mastopathy

Treatment of breast cysts and other types of mastopathy should be comprehensive and comprehensive.

Treatment of fibrocystic mastopathy will involve the use of both hormonal and non-hormonal drugs.

Treatment of breast fibroadenoma, at the discretion of the doctor, can be surgical. This may be enucleation of the cyst (i.e., enucleation) or sectoral resection of the mammary gland.

Preventive advice from MedicCity doctors:

• constantly examine your breasts to see if there are nodules or lumps in them;
• even if you have no complaints about your health, regularly visit a gynecologist-mammologist;
• If you are over the age of 35, undergo an annual breast ultrasound and mammography.

Women whose doctors have discovered mastopathy need to give up bad habits that provoke the disease (drinking alcohol, smoking), harmonize their intimate life, and select contraceptive methods with a doctor.

During the treatment of breast diseases, solariums, excessive sun exposure, and hypothermia should be avoided.

Preserving women's health is one of the main tasks of our doctors. We know how to take care of you!

Source: https://www.mediccity.ru/directions/291

Breast mastitis

Breast diseases are a pressing problem among women. 

The most common are mastitis and mastopathy, which are similar only at first glance. In fact, in addition to similar signs, there are also significant differences that make it possible to suspect a particular pathology and prescribe adequate treatment.

So, for a correct understanding of what mastitis and mastopathy are, you should study each process separately and its characteristic features.

Mastitis (breast) is an inflammation of a certain area of ​​the mammary gland, which is infectious and inflammatory in nature with a tendency to spread quickly.

Mastopathy, in turn, is a dishormonal process that has a benign course with a wide range of changes in glandular tissue.

Types of mastitis

• There are several main forms:
• 1) Lactation.
• 2) Non-lactational.

Lactation mastitis is associated with the development of inflammation that occurs against the background of cracked nipples and/or stagnation of milk, through which pathogenic flora enters. The process usually occurs on one side and most often on the right, but in 10% of women it can occur in both mammary glands. Thus, this type of disease is causally related to childbirth and breastfeeding, especially if its technique is impaired.

Non-lactation mastitis is rare (up to 5% of all cases) and is typical in any age category. It most often becomes chronic. Symptoms are usually not pronounced and most often this form occurs in the form of a breast abscess.

Risk factors for mastitis

Mastitis and mastopathy are distinguished by the presence in the first variant of pathology of pathogenic microflora in the breast (in particular Staphylococcus aureus in combination with other pathogenic microbes).

Women under 35 years of age are most likely to develop mastitis and more often during breastfeeding (90% of all cases).

According to statistics, in 85% of cases of pathology it occurs in the first month of natural feeding.

2. Factors predisposing to mastitis are conventionally divided into local, or anatomical, and systemic, or functional:
3. Local:
4. · defects in the formation of glands affecting the nipples, ducts or lobules;
5. · mastopathy;
6. · neoplasms (benign or malignant);
7. · scar changes in breast tissue that appear after injuries or surgical interventions.
8. System:
9. · complications that arose during childbirth (tissue injuries during natural childbirth, large blood loss);
10. · pathological variant of the course of pregnancy (late toxicosis and intrauterine infection);
11. · getting a chest injury;
12. · hormonal imbalance;
13. · skin diseases (pustular), which are the entry gate for the addition of additional infectious pathology or in the case of intensive reproduction of an existing one;
15. · non-compliance with hygiene rules when breastfeeding and improper care of the mammary glands after breastfeeding;
16. · the presence of a latent form of carriage of staphylococcus (mother, relatives, medical personnel);

· severe somatic diseases in acute course or chronic forms in exacerbation, previously suffered viral and infectious diseases. To combat pathology, it is necessary to connect all protective reserves, which are depleted, while a decrease in immunity leads to the unhindered proliferation of bacteria.

Clinical picture

• In the vast majority of cases, mastitis is characterized by a unilateral lesion. There are several forms of the disease:
• · acute;
• · chronic.
• The formation of successive stages (listed below) can be triggered by an advanced process due to inattention to oneself or incorrectly chosen treatment tactics.
• Mastitis and mastopathy differ in stages, especially pronounced in the first variant of mammary gland pathology. The following stages of mastitis are distinguished:
• 1) Serous.
• 2) Infiltrative.
• 3) Purulent (abscess formation).
• 4) Destruction (phlegmon and gangrene of the chest).

In the initial stage, acute mastitis is characterized by a serous inflammatory process of tissue in the mammary gland. When milk stagnates in the breast on the 3-4th day, there is usually no infection of the mammary tissue. After 1-2 days, the woman develops mastitis symptoms:

2. · engorgement of the glands with increased pain;
3. · the appearance of a compacted area in the chest, which, when palpated, has a temperature higher than the surrounding skin;
4. · increase in the patient’s body temperature to 38˚C;
5. · expressing milk in nursing women is painful and does not bring relief;
6. · increasing weakness, poor appetite.

Lack of treatment for the serous stage quickly contributes to the acquisition of an infiltrative course (infiltrative stage). Here the stagnant area becomes infected, the temperature increases, the pain increases and the skin over the formation becomes red.

• Lack of treatment also leads to a rapid worsening of the condition and after 4 days an abscess forms at the site of the inflamed area. Signs of the transition of mastitis to the purulent stage are:
• · sensation upon palpation of infiltrate, which is very painful and feels like a honeycomb (a sign of fluctuation, which is characterized by softening due to accumulated purulent fluid in the cavity);
• · spread of skin redness beyond this area with the possible option of covering the entire breast;
• · enlargement of regional lymph nodes on the affected side;
• · high body temperature (up to 39˚C);
• · severe weakness, loss of appetite, drowsiness.

When the abscess wall melts, mastitis quickly turns into a more severe form of the disease - phlegmonous. The woman’s condition is deteriorating; upon palpation of the affected area, there are no clear boundaries of the formation in the mammary gland. It looks sharply swollen, the skin tone becomes bluish and often the nipple of the breast takes on an inverted shape.

With an advanced form of mastitis, its most severe and dangerous stage occurs - gangrenous. The breast becomes purplish-red, swollen, and blisters resembling a burn may form on the surface of the skin. Foci of necrosis in the mammary gland are black.

The development of a chronic course of mastitis is possible with ineffective treatment of the acute form. In most cases, it occurs in the infiltrate stage and the woman’s general condition does not suffer much.

Treatment of mastitis

2. Mastitis and mastopathy are also fundamentally different in the tactics of managing women, despite some similarities in the clinical course. There are several approaches:
3. 1) Conservative.
4. 2) Surgical.
5. Treatment of mastitis with conservative methods is possible only in the serous and infiltrative stages of development. To choose this particular treatment option, the condition must meet the following requirements:
6. · the duration of the disease should not exceed 3 days;
7. · body temperature does not exceed 37.5˚C;
8. · moderate pain of the infiltrate and its distribution is no more than a quadrant of the breast;
10. If it is possible to carry out conservative measures in relation to the inflammatory process, use:

1) Establishing the correct feeding and expressing regimen to completely empty the mammary gland. It is not recommended to breastfeed a sick baby. For this purpose, expressed milk is used only from a healthy gland.

• 2) Increased temperature and severe pain are the starting point for prescribing antibiotic therapy.
• 3) Antispasmodics.
• 4) Physiotherapy (UHF or ultrasound).

Destructive forms of mastitis can only be treated surgically. The volume of intervention depends on the size of the abscess and the course of the process. After the operation, be sure to leave a drain through which the pus will drain.

Mastitis during breastfeeding

There is not a single woman of childbearing age who has not heard about mastitis. More than 5% are familiar with mastitis disease first-hand. So what is it like to know everything about mastitis? This is a severe inflammation of the female breast. It occurs in the mammary gland, usually after childbirth during breastfeeding. There are usually several causes of mastitis; Firstly, infection enters through the nipples.

During breastfeeding, the nipple is easily injured and microbes, mainly staphylococcal and streptococcal, penetrate into the mammary gland through cracks in it. Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis can also be pathogens. Secondly, after feeding the babies, the nursing mother still has a sufficient amount of milk left.

Young mothers often neglect to express the remaining milk, which provokes its further accumulation, stagnation and the development of lactostasis. In addition, poor pumping or squeezing of milk can lead to closed breast injury. Thirdly, this is a weakening of the immune system after childbirth and hormonal changes in the body.

Other causes of mastitis can be congenital pathologies of the mammary glands or previous breast surgery.

Signs of mastitis

Due to mastitis and inflammation in the chest, the patient’s temperature rises, the pain is concentrated in the area where milk accumulates, the skin in the inflamed area wrinkles, becomes rough and painful to the touch, and acquires a red tint.

In the absence of timely treatment of mastitis, the symptoms intensify, the temperature rises to 39 degrees and above, and a purulent stage of mastitis sets in, which in an advanced state can turn into gangrene.

The initial form is serous mastitis, the next is infiltrative, then purulent mastitis occurs. Breastfeeding becomes almost impossible. Moreover, pus and blood enter the mother's milk.

Indications for mastitis

Antibiotics are used to fight infection. Painkillers and antipyretics are used to relieve pain and fever. For purulent mastitis, surgical intervention is indicated.

After opening the abscess, antibiotic therapy continues, and the wound is washed with disinfectant solutions as recommended by a doctor. When treated with medications, it is necessary to continue expressing milk at least three times a day. Moreover, you need to start expressing from a healthy breast.

This is a very painful process, so intramuscular painkillers can be used. Breastfeeding can be continued only after complete recovery. Milk from a healthy breast can be given to the baby only after it has been pasteurized.

The main thing to remember is that this kind of milk cannot be stored! At an advanced stage of the disease, complications and dangerous consequences may occur, such as deformation and destruction of the mammary gland, the spread of pus throughout the body and, as a result, sepsis.

 The occurrence and development of mastitis can be prevented if preventive measures are followed. First of all, this is hygiene compliance by a nursing mother. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the nipples.

Prevention of mastitis

Prevention of mastitis involves careful and mandatory preparation for feeding. Breasts should be washed once a day. Afterwards, check for cracks in the nipples. If they appear, mandatory treatment is required.

It is necessary to ensure that when feeding, the baby completely grasps the nipple and the mouth is pressed tightly to the breast. After feeding, you need to let your breasts dry.

To avoid additional injury to the nipples, you should wait until the baby stops sucking and only then remove it. If inflammation cannot be avoided, you should consult a doctor about how to treat the damaged surface.

You need to express milk as much as possible, freeing the mammary glands as much as possible. Pharmacies offer a large selection of breast pumps, but it is preferable to express by hand.

With this method, the nipple is not injured and the outer parts of the mammary gland are released as much as possible. This is where milk stagnation most often occurs. The key to successful prevention is increasing immunity.

The most important thing to remember: at the first symptoms of mastitis, you must immediately consult a mammologist.

Source: https://mabusten.com/mastit_chto_eto_i_kak_lechit/172.html

Mastitis and mastopathy: what is the difference?

Quite often, we all hear such terms as mastitis, lactostasis or mastopathy - these are certain words that confuse women, making them nervous.

Often women use these designations for very specific diseases, without fully understanding the meaning of them.

Some women simply do not know the differences between essentially different, but seemingly quite similar terms. Moreover, the symptoms of these two diseases, at certain stages, can be very similar.

At the same time, there are important things that are simply necessary, and even vitally important, to understand, know and remember. So, today we are ready to share information about what mastitis and mastopathy are. And, about how to distinguish these states from each other.

These two diseases of the mammary glands (mastitis and conditions that are included in the concept of mastopathy) are considered the most serious and common problems of a modern woman.

These are the diseases that almost every third of the fair sex faces.

It is believed that any hormonal disorder or malfunction in the body may well lead to one or another pathology of the mammary glands.

It should be noted right away that it is incredibly dangerous to independently assess how harmless certain changes occurring in your mammary gland are, as well as to prescribe treatment for such problems yourself.

After all, even minor, at first glance, changes in the breast with mastopathy can ultimately lead to the development of the most dangerous oncological processes. And even minor lactostasis (stagnation of milk during breastfeeding), if treated incorrectly, can lead to the development of purulent inflammation or an abscess (which is included in the concept of mastitis).

So, doctors recommend that women (both during and outside of breastfeeding) immediately consult a doctor if they experience the slightest discomfort in the breast area. This is necessary, first of all, to quickly diagnose the problem and understand the reasons for the development of existing unpleasant sensations.

Statistics on this matter say that in almost 90% of all cases of the development of the described diseases, if patients consult a specialist in a timely manner, there is a complete recovery from pathologies, all types of inflammatory processes, without the intervention of surgeons.

What is mastitis?

Mastitis is an inflammatory disease of various forms associated with infection of breast tissue. A condition when one or another pathogen, say, staphylococcus or streptococcus, enters the breast tissue.

Today, there is a huge misconception that inflammation of the mammary gland (mastitis) can only “threaten” nursing mothers.

Indeed, most often mastitis can be diagnosed in primiparous women, especially during the period of establishing breastfeeding.

Medicine warns that mastitis may well occur regardless of the development of pregnancy. The disease can develop in women during menopause, in very young girls at puberty, in newborns of any gender and even, in some cases, in men.

The most favorable environment for the active development of pathogenic bacteria is the sharply weakened immunity of a woman, especially in combination with insufficient or incorrect observance of the rules of basic personal hygiene. Mastitis can also develop:

• If a newborn baby is not properly applied to the breast.
• In case of illogical and unreasonable delays in feeding.
• With incorrect, defective pumping.
• With stagnation of milk in the breast.

Non-lactation mastitis can develop:

• For endocrine diseases.
• For chest injuries, etc.
• Under certain physiological conditions associated with hormonal changes in the body.

The first and most important thing that usually distinguishes acute mastitis from mastopathy is temperature fluctuations.

As a rule, with mastopathy, body temperature either does not rise at all, or rises to very insignificant levels. But mastitis, on the contrary, almost never occurs without an increase in body temperature, sometimes to critical points.

What is mastopathy?

Mastopathy usually includes a whole group of diseases that are characterized by benign changes in the tissues of the mammary gland. As a rule, with mastopathy there is a non-inflammatory growth of certain tissues that make up the mammary gland. This may be the growth and compaction of glandular tissue, epithelial or simply fatty tissue.

The greatest insidiousness of this disease lies in the fact that often against the background of fibrocystic disease the most dangerous, malignant breast cancers can develop. The causes of the development of this disease can be hormonal disorders quite often - abortions, terminated pregnancies, and, somewhat less frequently, significant neurological or endocrine disorders.

According to doctors, modern women are more susceptible to severe stress or anxiety, which ultimately significantly increases the risks of many gynecological diseases, and as a result, cancer.

The initial manifestations of cystic disease include some breast tenderness, and especially before the onset of menstruation. The subsequent development of fibrotic disease causes pain with literally any minimal touch to the chest; pain can also be felt even in the shoulder or armpit.

How are diseases with similar symptoms treated?

Despite the fact that the two diseases described have similar symptoms, they are usually treated in radically different ways. The only similarity in the treatment of these conditions is that in the initial stages of development of the problems described, you can get by with the simple use of physiotherapeutic procedures, homeopathy or herbal medicine.

In both conditions, it is extremely important to correctly diagnose the problem in a timely manner, and then, just as correctly, logically and accurately (in direction), select treatment, and this is almost impossible without a doctor.

Well, actually, this is where all the similarities in the treatment of the described diseases end.

How is mastopathy treated?

Treatment of mastopathy always directly depends on the form of the disease, and, as a rule, is characterized by its focus on reducing pathological growths of breast tissue, sometimes normalizing (possibly disturbed) hormonal levels, as well as eliminating most of the concomitant diseases that could provoke the disease. In most cases, this is hormonal therapy, which can take quite a long time.

Nodular forms of the disease may require a primary biopsy to determine the tissue from which the nodes consist, and subsequent (based on the results of the study) treatment, often surgical. In addition, all women diagnosed with mastopathy are advised to completely eliminate any bad habits (such as smoking or drinking alcohol).

It is very important for mastopathy to be able to establish a full, but not excessive, sex life. With mastopathy, as with mastitis, it is advisable to exclude any thermal effects (procedures) aimed at the mammary gland.

It is advisable to avoid visiting the solarium too often; it is important not to overheat and also not to overcool.

How is mastitis treated?

In most cases, mastitis is treated with antibiotics, since it is, after all, an inflammatory and infectious process. Such therapy is always aimed at suppressing a specific pathogen, be it staphylococcus or streptococcus.

If we talk about the difference between the treatment of mastitis and mastopathy, then the treatment of mastitis in the vast majority of cases takes significantly less time.

When mastitis develops, it is extremely important to observe all the rules of personal hygiene, since in order to fully combat the disease it is necessary to avoid re-infection and the transition of the disease to chronic or more dangerous abscess forms.

Source: http://OMastopatii.ru/mastit/kak-otlichit-mastopatiyu-ot-mastita.html

Similarities and differences between mastitis and mastopathy

Mastitis and its colleague mastopathy are serious diseases of the modern world, threatening the life and health of every third representative of the fair sex. Having heard these names or, worse, faced with a similar diagnosis, women become despondent, largely due to the fact that they cannot unravel the essence of what is hidden behind these concepts.

Mastitis and mastopathy occur in every third woman

Those who have never been sick do not value health

Similar features

In fact, these phenomena are similar in many ways:

• Diseases concern the mammary gland, this delicate and very important organ of the female body.
• The causes of breast pathology are called hormonal imbalances.
• The symptoms of the diseases are somewhat similar, especially at first.

Otherwise, the ailments are different and confusion about them will not lead to anything good. Treatment will be effective only if you know exactly what you are dealing with... Therefore, let’s consider the diseases in order, reveal their hidden essence and clarify the methods of treating them.

The best and safest option, after reading this article and discovering suspicious similarities with the indicated ailments, is to immediately seek professional help.

It is recommended not to risk your health, but to seek treatment at a clinic, because any of these diseases can lead to dangerous consequences if left untreated.

But the sooner the disease is diagnosed and a course of treatment is prescribed, the greater your chances of getting out of this unpleasant situation healthy, safe and with an almost full wallet.

And you won’t have to suffer physically and spiritually under the surgeon’s instruments.

If you notice breast tenderness, you should consult a doctor for clarification.

Let's talk about mastitis

Mastitis, otherwise called “breast mastitis,” is an inflammatory disease of the mammary gland. It is often observed in women preparing to add to the family, in mothers who have already given birth and in nursing mothers.

Today there is a widespread myth that only pregnant women can get mastitis; this is not true; the disease also occurs in women who are just thinking about pregnancy. Girls are lucky in this regard - they are almost not threatened by breastfeeding, but there are exceptions, so it’s too early to relax.

It happens that mastitis appears in very young girls who have not yet entered puberty, in children who have barely appeared, mature women who have passed menopause, and even women who can only dream of children.

Mastitis begins when bacteria, such as staphylococcus or streptococcus, penetrate through the lymphatic tract. They enter the gland, resulting in inflammatory processes. Causes of infection:

• Cracked nipples (often such a problem occurs due to the fact that the young mother did not attach the baby to the breast correctly) and other damage to the breast.
• Lactostasis, also known as milk retention.
• Incomplete pumping.
• Failure to comply with hygiene rules, especially during pregnancy and lactation.
• Germs enter the breasts through contact with a dirty bra or through a baby’s not-so-clean mouth.
• In pregnant women, the cause may be a bra that is too tight and puts pressure on the mammary gland.
• Weakened immunity as a result of hypothermia or even a simple draft.
• In men, there is a hormonal imbalance.

There are two types of mastitis:

1. Lactational.
2. Non-lactational.

Incomplete expression of milk can cause illness

Lactation mastitis

This type of mastitis occurs in breastfeeding women, and the disease does not care at all about when the child was born. It poses a particular danger to women who have never encountered this phenomenon before, that is, women who have become mothers for the first time and who do not know proper feeding techniques.

As lactation mastitis develops, it goes through several stages:

1. The early stage of mastitis is called serous. How to recognize it? With serous mastitis, the body temperature rises slightly, and unpleasant, even painful sensations occur when touching the breast. With the appearance of milk, the breasts increase in size, but with mastitis they become even larger and swell. With acute serous mastitis, a woman’s well-being drops below the baseboard, she is freezing, has a fever, the temperature makes a sharp jump to 39OC, all this is accompanied by a terrible headache and a general state of weakness. The most unpleasant thing is the terrible pain in the reddened chest. Feeding a baby is excruciatingly painful, and expressing milk does not provide relief. If you do not start treating the disease immediately, after at most 3 days it will progress to the next stage of mastitis.
2. Infiltrative. Since serous mastitis is often mild, women do not pay attention to it, and sometimes even doctors do not diagnose the early stage of the disease. Therefore, in hospitals you can often find women with an infiltrative form of the disease. At this level, painful sensations are much more pronounced. The skin of the breast turns red, painful lumps and infiltrates appear in it. There is no need to talk about terrible headaches, weakness in all parts of the body, insomnia and loss of appetite. At this stage, clots of pus may appear in the milk of the diseased mammary gland, so feeding the child is prohibited for the sake of his health. If for some reason a woman does not go to the doctor and at this stage of mastitis, it develops into a new form, even more severe.
3. Purulent. Purulent mastitis occurs on the 3-4th day of disease development (under conditions that it is not treated). The temperature becomes even higher, the infiltrate becomes denser, and in the center you can feel softening, in other words, an abscess.
4. Another form is phlegmonous. It can be distinguished by high fever, skin that takes on a bluish color, swelling of the mammary gland, and severe chest pain.

Lactation mastitis occurs due to breastfeeding

Non-lactation mastitis

This type of mastitis occurs less frequently than lactation mastitis, usually due to damage to the mammary gland or hormonal disorders. The disease also occurs in several forms:

1. Plasma cell . This type of disease mostly affects women who have already given birth, and more than once. The signs of this disease can be confused with another, but more terrible disease - breast cancer.
2. Fibrocystic. The causes of this disease are problems with the endocrine system, but inflammation is not common.
3. Acute non-lactational mastitis. This form manifests itself in the form of small swellings and pain.

How to treat mastitis

Signs of mastitis can be detected by breast swelling and pain, but a more reliable way is to undergo an ultrasound. Mammography is not done to diagnose mastitis.

From the description of the disease and its forms, the main thing can be highlighted: self-medication is contraindicated. Neglected pain can lead to breast cancer and premature painful death.

To treat the first two stages of mastitis - serous and infiltrative, various types of antibiotics are used: penicillin, aminoglycosides and cephalosporins. The list of medications may include Amoxiclav, Gentamicin and Cefazolin, but it is better if the medications are recommended by a doctor. Antibiotics are introduced into the body intravenously or intramuscularly. Painkillers are also used.

Serous mastitis, as befits a disease at an early stage, stops tormenting its victim 2 days after the start of treatment. The infiltrate will take a week to resolve. Purulent mastitis is already a much more dangerous form and to cure it you will have to lie down on a surgical table.

Since breast milk infected with pus during mastitis is dangerous for the baby, lactation will have to be stopped for the duration of the illness. Drugs, for example Dostinex, will help stop milk production. Sometimes you can express milk and then sterilize it to feed your baby. After recovery, the baby can continue to be fed.

Prevention of mastitis is based on breast hygiene and the ability to feed the child correctly. Express milk thoroughly from both breasts to avoid stagnation. If cracks appear, soften the nipples with vegetable oil. Place your baby in such a way that he completely grasps the nipple and areola, and before feeding, wash your breasts daily.

When feeding, the baby should grasp the entire nipple and areola.

Mastopathy: similarities and differences with mastitis

Mastopathy is a benign disease of the mammary glands. The reasons lie in hormones. These may be diseases of the ovaries or thyroid gland.

Mastopathy often results from abortion or endocrine diseases. In essence, the disease is an overgrowth of adipose or glandular tissue.

On the background of mastopathy, oncological diseases develop. The disease arose due to dysfunction of the liver and kidneys.

Forms of mastopathy:

1. Diffuse. Lumps, pain and enlargement of the breasts during menstruation.
2. Nodal. Small and hard growths are felt in the chest. The breasts and lymph nodes in the armpits become enlarged, accompanied by pain.
3. Fibrocystic. Many small neoplasms, cystic cavities. A clear or whitish discharge comes out of the nipples. Excruciating pain with every movement, including in neighboring parts of the body: in the shoulder, shoulder blade.

Mastopathy and mastitis are very different from each other. The similarity is not only that these diseases affect the mammary glands, it is their method of combating them in the early stages of disease development.

If diseases are diagnosed early, it will not be difficult to cure them, but in later cases, surgical intervention will have to be used.

If the disease is not detected and cured in time, it will turn into a long-term struggle with cancer (which will not fail to appear), chemotherapy, and you will have to give up one or even both mammary glands. And the best of all ways to treat diseases is their prevention.

Treatment of mastopathy primarily consists of stopping or slowing down the growth of tumors and harmonizing hormonal levels. Since the causes of the disease can be problems with other internal organs, treatment of mastopathy also includes the cure of these organs. For nodular mastopathy, treatment can take a surgical form.

In addition to the therapeutic complex, women are advised to forget (preferably forever) bad habits, such as smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages. Your lifestyle should be diversified with sex life.

Childbearing is another way to prevent the onset of mastopathy.

You will have to give up visiting the solarium, the beach and winter swimming - overheating, as well as hypothermia directed, including to the mammary glands, will aggravate the disease.

It is important to regularly conduct self-diagnosis and, if you suspect illness, immediately go to the doctor. Self-medication such as prayers, spells and other folk methods can only be used in combination with treatment prescribed by doctors.

Source: https://vrachlady.ru/mastopatiya/mastit-i-mastopatiya.html

Dangers of female breasts: MASTITIS, MASTOPATHY

The female breast is a vulnerable and fragile organ. Breast diseases are one of the most common threats to women's health. Such diseases are mastitis and mastopathy, which are often confused. What kind of diseases are these, what are their dangers, how to detect and treat them? Mammologist-oncologist of the highest category, Zhanna Tlebaldievna BUKENOVA, will tell us about this and something else.

– What is mastitis, what is mastopathy?

– Mastitis is an infectious disease during which the mammary gland becomes inflamed.

There is a division of mastitis into lactation, that is, occurring during breastfeeding, and non-lactation - outside the period of lactation, mainly occurring against the background of weakened immunity in the presence of some kind of internal chronic infection. The main cause of mastitis is Staphylococcus aureus.

During lactation mastitis, the infection penetrates through the cracks of the nipple and rushes to places of stasis - narrowing of the milk ducts, possibly caused by undiagnosed and untreated mastopathy before childbirth, where it causes inflammation of the glandular tissue.

The appearance of non-lactation mastitis is associated with hormonal instability and changes in it - this causes a decrease in immunity and sensitivity to infections. During mastitis, the temperature may rise, redness of the breasts, and pain may appear.

Mastitis can occur because a woman does not put her baby to the breast correctly, does not express milk (while the baby is small, he needs a small amount of milk, and she forgets that she needs to express), if she violates the rules of personal hygiene, or she had prenatal anemia, which very often reduces immunity. Mastitis can begin if a woman has had mastopathy in the past, but this is by no means the background against which the disease develops, just a prerequisite. Now there are many cases of non-lactation mastitis. This is surprising because this disease mainly occurs in lactating, primiparous women.

– How is self-examination and diagnosis carried out in the clinic?

– Diagnostics is based on the provisions of the international protocol: girls from the age of 20 should visit a mammologist, gynecologist, and endocrinologist 2 times a year. Then a visual examination, palpation, and ultrasound of the mammary glands are performed. The mammologist should also teach the woman self-examination techniques.

Every month, on days 5-7 of the menstrual cycle, a woman should examine herself. First you need to go to the mirror and examine your breasts for the symmetry of the mammary glands; asymmetry may mean some kind of neoplasm process if the asymmetry is not congenital.

Next we look at the nipple - it should not be retracted and there should be no discharge. To do this, you need to feel it well, pressing. After this, you need to raise each hand in turn, placing it behind your head. With the other hand they feel the chest.

Palpation, both standing and lying down, is done clockwise; the structure of the mammary glands should be relatively homogeneous. That is, there may be some kind of graininess, since it is still a lobed structure, but rough and dense areas are an alarming sign.

In addition, of course, the skin should not have two main symptoms that indicate cancer - the lemon peel symptom and the platform symptom. In the first case, these are clearly visible, enlarged pores and, as it were, slightly raised skin, and the platform is an area of ​​​​the skin that has lost its elasticity, and when you press on it, the skin does not straighten out, a hole remains.

– At what age can these diseases occur? Can they occur in teenage girls? How does infant mastitis appear, what is it connected with?

– Thelarche is an enlargement of the mammary glands in girls. The mammary gland is a hormone-dependent organ, and since acceleration processes are now occurring everywhere, little girls are often brought to us with enlargement of one or both mammary glands.

This is due to the presence of excess estrogen in the child’s body. When diagnosing such cases, observation and consultation with a pediatric endocrinologist is recommended.

In infancy, this indicates that excess female hormones have passed from mother to child, and over time this goes away on its own. In boys in infancy, this condition is explained by an excess of estrogen in the mother’s body, which also passes to him, but this passes.

If this occurs at 6-8 years of age, it is a sign of premature sexual development, and we send the child to an endocrinologist.

The main reason for this condition is increased secretory activity of the ovaries; other reasons include periodic estrogen releases or increased sensitivity of the mammary glands to estrogen.

When a mother tries to mechanically reduce the size of the child's mammary gland, she can introduce an infection there, and then mastitis may well develop. Teenage mastitis is such a rare case that in all my practice I have only encountered it in theory. It can occur, for example, in a girl who plays sports.

Very often, injuries provoke the formation of hematomas in the mammary gland; they have no way out and can begin to fester, causing mastitis.

– How is mastitis and mastopathy treated? How long might this take?

– Treatment of mastitis usually takes 7-10 days. Antibacterial drugs and broad-spectrum antibiotics are mainly prescribed. There are several stages of mastitis: serous, infiltrative, purulent. These stages require different treatment methods.

For serous and infiltrative mastitis, that is, in the initial stages of the disease, treatment includes proper pumping, traditional methods of treatment: vodka compresses, sage tinctures, honey cakes, cabbage leaves, antibiotics, treatment of nipples - all this is taught in maternity hospitals by midwives. Expressing during lactation mastitis cannot be neglected; it is necessary to eliminate milk stagnation, improve the condition of the mammary gland and maintain lactation. In the purulent stage of mastitis, surgical intervention is necessary. An autopsy is performed and the glands are cleaned of pus.

Throughout the world, mastopathy as such is not diagnosed.

I know this from the example of specialization in Germany; we asked questions to our fellow mammologists from other countries, and they said that this problem is dealt with only in the CIS countries.

In our country, it is customary to engage in the prevention, detection, and observation of mastopathy, but throughout the world, no activities related to mastopathy are carried out. This is not considered a disease.

Since mastopathy is a lifelong condition, we cannot cure it and only try to correct the symptoms and minimize complaints.

The same thing happens with the mammary gland - it changes its structure towards increasing adipose tissue. This is called involutive age-related mastopathy.

Correction means the use of some mastopathy creams that have an analgesic effect, salt compresses, some folk remedies with the consultation of a doctor. It also happens that a person cannot distinguish whether his heart or mammary gland hurts.

Mammography should be done once every 1-3 years, and ultrasound – 2 times a year. There is no need for surgical intervention for mastopathy. It is indicated only for suspected breast cancer, in the presence of large fibroadenomas.

– Is breastfeeding prohibited for mastopathy? Is it possible to cure mastitis in time and return to breastfeeding?

– Feeding is a direct indication for mastopathy. And mastitis can be treated very quickly, so, of course, you can return to breastfeeding in time. We try to prescribe conservative treatment, after which feeding is resumed. To prevent lactation from stopping, pumping is necessary.

– Can these diseases occur in men? If so, is there a difference in treatment?

– In men, enlargement of one or two mammary glands is called gynecomastia. It can be true - when the glandular tissue itself grows, or false - when there is a lot of adipose tissue. Treatment is often surgical.

This is because men most often come in because of discomfort arising from cosmetic reasons. Sports nutrition and steroids can also affect the mammary gland. A problem with testosterone and the thyroid gland provokes gynecomastia.

These problems are usually dealt with by an endocrinologist.

– Can mastopathy or mastitis turn into breast cancer?

– Simple mastopathy does not turn into breast cancer. Under the supervision of a woman with nodular forms of mastopathy. Mastitis is also not a precancerous disease, but if left untreated, it can lead to blood poisoning. The causes of cancer are still unclear.

It is impossible to predict that certain women will develop cancer in the future. Because even the hereditary probability of cancer transmission through the female line is no more than 10%. And even then, many questions remain open.

Any woman is at risk, which is why it is so important to see a doctor regularly. This is why dynamic control is so important, so that there is feedback from the patient.

Dynamic control will allow the practicing mammologist not to miss that “X” moment when something starts to go wrong, and will provide the opportunity to react in time and orient the woman.

The patient should tell the doctor about the dynamics, about everything that happened in six months, what treatment she took, what changes occurred in her sex life, whether abortions or miscarriages occurred, when and how the change in contraceptives occurred and other important details. When drawing up a picture of dynamic control, everything is taken into account.

When a woman simply comes from the street, when she has not been seen by a doctor before and she does not have previous photographs and information about her condition, of course, it will be more difficult to treat her, since there is no overall picture. You should never throw away your test results or pictures, they need to be collected.

You never know when or what might come in handy.

– Is the use of dietary supplements effective for mastopathy?

– In fact, the use of dietary supplements is common, they can influence hormonal levels and balance them, but not a single dietary supplement changes the structure of the mammary gland, so we cannot talk about curing mastopathy. Simply put, dietary supplements can temporarily affect the effect, but not the cause.

Fundamental in consultation with a mammologist is the choice of the right tactics: is priority given to prescribing a bunch of dietary supplements (which essentially do not change the structure of the mammary glands) or to orienting patients to dynamic monitoring 2 times a year throughout life, in which it is possible to identify some changes and correction with properly selected treatment.

Source: https://zoj.kz/populiarnie/women/2472-opasnosti-zhenskoy-grudi-mastit-mastopatiya.html