Signs of mastitis

Breasts are female-specific sexual organs, and women use their breasts to feed their babies. Girls in their developmental period often experience breast pain, which will gradually disappear after puberty. Many adult women find out that they have mastitis after feeling pain in their breasts. If they understand the signs of mastitis, they can receive treatment as early as possible and avoid the pain of the disease in the later stages.

1. What are the early symptoms of mastitis?

Symptom 1: Breast pain is an early symptom of mastitis

Severe breast pain accompanied by tenderness is often a manifestation of breast inflammation, which is seen in acute mastitis and breast abscess. For example, local breast pain is often related to the menstrual cycle and is generally more common in simple and cystic hyperplasia of the breast.

Symptom 2: Breast lumps are also common symptoms

Breast lumps are the main symptom of breast tumors. Breast lumps are also seen in breast hyperplasia, breast tuberculosis, etc.

Symptom 3: Red, swollen, hot and painful skin

In acute suppurative mastitis, the local skin becomes red, swollen, hot and painful, with obvious nodules and more tenderness. At the same time, the patient may experience chills, high fever, headache, weakness, rapid pulse and other general weakness. At this time, swollen lymph nodes may appear in the armpits, which are tender and the white blood cell count in blood tests may be elevated. In severe cases, sepsis may occur.

Symptom 4: Abscess liquefaction

Abscess formation is caused by ineffective treatment measures or further aggravation of the disease, local tissue necrosis and liquefaction, and infection foci of varying sizes merge together to form an abscess.

2. What are the main causes of mastitis?

1. Milk stasis: Milk stasis is conducive to the growth and reproduction of invading bacteria. The reasons are:

① The nipples are too small or inverted, which hinders breastfeeding. Pregnant women fail to correct the inverted nipples in time before delivery, which makes it difficult for babies to suck milk;

② Too much milk and poor breast emptying. The mother fails to empty the excess milk in the breast in time.

③ The milk ducts are blocked. The milk ducts themselves are inflamed, swollen and externally compressed. Fibers that fall off the bra can also block the milk ducts.

2. Bacterial invasion: When the nipple is inverted, it is difficult for the baby to suck milk, which can easily cause damage around the nipple. It is the main way for bacteria to invade along the lymphatic vessels and cause infection. In addition, if babies often sleep with the nipple in their mouths, the inflammation in their mouths may directly invade and spread to the milk ducts, and then spread to the breast interstitium and cause purulent infection. The most common pathogenic bacteria is Staphylococcus aureus.