Symptoms of mastitis during lactation

I believe everyone knows the importance of breasts to female friends. If there is a problem with a female friend's breast, it will not only cause pain to the female friend but also threaten the health of the body and even threaten life. Therefore, we recommend that female friends should protect their breasts well. One symptom that is prone to breast disease is mastitis. Below we will introduce the symptoms of mastitis during lactation.

1. Stasis mastitis

It occurs in the early postpartum period (usually about 1 week after delivery). Because first-time mothers lack experience in breastfeeding, it is easy for milk to accumulate and not be emptied on time. The patient felt varying degrees of pain and swelling in both breasts and had a moderate fever (around 38.5°C). Examination of the breasts reveals fullness, redness (congestion) on the surface, and tenderness, but the symptoms usually disappear after the milk is expressed. However, if not treated in time, or if the nipple is small and is broken by the newborn's sucking, the retained milk may be contaminated by purulent bacteria. Therefore, excess milk must be drained and nipples must be kept clean.

2. Suppurative mastitis

It is usually caused by infection of staphylococci or streptococci through a ruptured nipple. As mentioned earlier, postpartum milk accumulation can easily lead to infection if it is not emptied in time. After bacteria invade the mammary ducts, they continue to invade the parenchyma, which can cause various types of suppurative mastitis.

(1) Inflammation spreads to the superficial lymphatic vessels, causing erysipelas-like lymphangitis. The patient develops a sudden high fever, often accompanied by chills, breast tenderness, and red spots or lines on the local skin, which are characteristic of this type.

(2) The inflammation is confined to the connective tissue of the areola, forming a subareolar abscess.

(3) The infection spreads along the lymphatic vessels into the breast stroma, from the surface to the base, across the breast tissue. Interstitial abscess is formed due to suppuration of connective tissue. This type of abscess may be confined to a single breast lobule or may spread to the majority of the breast.

(4) The infection spreads rapidly, reaching deep into the loose connective tissue behind the breast between the base of the breast and the pectoralis major muscle, forming a retromammary abscess.

The area where inflammation or abscess is located will show redness, swelling and tenderness. The abscess area may feel fluctuating when pressed. If necessary, a test puncture can be performed to extract pus for bacteriological examination and a drug sensitivity test for reference in selecting antibiotics.

In the above article, we introduced the importance of breasts to female friends. We suggest that female friends pay attention to the health of their breasts in daily life. The above article gives us a detailed introduction to the symptoms of lactation mastitis. I believe everyone understands it.