Mastitis is a variety of disease
It is a mistake that the symptoms of mastitis are found only in lactating women. After all, the mammary glands can become inflamed even in young, nulliparous girls. In this regard, distinguish:
- lactational mastitis, or postpartum;
- non-lactational mastitis, or fibrocystic;
- mastitis of newborns.
Symptoms and treatment of mastitis in a nursing mother
Lactation mastitis often occurs due to the incorrect organization of breastfeeding. In particular, factors contributing to the development of the disease include:
- incorrect attachment to the chest;
- non-compliance with hygiene standards;
- unprepared nipples for feeding;
- milk stasis;
- cracks in the nipples;
- a decrease in the body's immune forces and hormonal imbalance.
As a rule, lactational mastitis is accompanied by a pronounced symptomatology, which depends on the form of the disease. For example, the signs of serous mastitis in a nursing mother may be:
- fever and chills;
- general weakness and fatigue;
- pain and heaviness in the chest;
- redness of the skin and enlargement of the mammary gland.
If a woman with such symptoms in time does not provide medical care, then serous mastitis grows into an infiltrative one. In this case, the clinical manifestations intensify. In addition, the overall picture is complemented by painful and enlarged axillary lymph nodes.
Very serious condition of patients with purulent mastitis. These women have a very high fever, the mammary glands are inflamed and enlarged, in the milk there is an admixture of pus.
Symptoms and treatment of non-lactational mastitis
Non-lactational mastitis occurs for reasons not related to breastfeeding, pregnancy and childbirth, and occurs in both women and men. Most often, the appearance of an ailment is facilitated by: trauma, hormonal disorders, infection with lymph flow from other foci. As a rule, the symptomatology of the non-lactational form of the disease is less pronounced, than the symptoms of mastitis, which appeared against the background of lactation.
Symptoms of mastitis in non-breastfeeding women may differ depending on the stage and form of the disease. So, the clinical manifestations of the serous form of the disease are barely noticeable: it is a mild edema and pains in the chest, a slight increase in temperature.
Infiltrative mastitis has a more vivid clinical picture: a palpable pain in the chest, a significant increase in temperature, redness of the skin immediately above the compaction, sometimes inflamed axillary lymph nodes.
Accordingly, the symptoms of the purulent form of the disease can not remain unnoticed: it is acute pulling pain, high fever, redness and puffiness of the breast gland. In this case, the patient urgently needs urgent medical assistance.
Due to the fact that non-lactational mastitis very often occurs without pronounced symptomatology, proper therapy is not performed in time or at all. Therefore, the disease takes on a chronic form. The main symptoms of chronic mastitis are periodic exacerbations with characteristic manifestations.