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Question

im 23 and have periductal mastitis, can someone tell me if you have had it and what was your symtoms?

Answer 1

periductal mastitis


This is a condition where non-dilated subareolar breasts ducts become infected. It most commonly affects young women, with a mean age of 32 years.


The condition may present with periareolar inflammation, and the breast may be tender. There may be a history of nipple discharge and on examination the nipple may be retracted and there may be an associated inflammatory mass or abscess.


etiology


Histologically, periductal mastitis is characterized by active inflammation around non-dilated subareolar breast ducts. This distinguishes it from mammary duct ectasia which is a condition of older women where duct dilatation is more pronounced.

90% of women with periductal mastitis smoke, and it has been suggested that smoking in some way results in damage to the subareolar ducts which then become infected. Infective organisms may be aerobic or anaerobic and include Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococci, Anaerobic streptococci and Bacteroides species.


Mastitis is an infection of the breast. It usually only occurs in women who are breastfeeding their babies.

Description

Breastfeeding is the act of allowing a baby to suckle at the breast, in order to drink the mother's milk. In the process, unaccustomed to the vigorous pull and tug of the infant's suck, the nipples may become sore, cracked, or slightly abraded. This creates a tiny opening in the breast, through which bacteria can enter. The presence of milk, with high sugar content, gives the bacteria an excellent source of nutrition. Under these conditions, the bacteria are able to multiply, until they are plentiful enough to cause an infection within the breast.


Mastitis usually begins more than two to four weeks after delivery of the baby. It is a relatively uncommon complication of breastfeeding mothers, occurring in only approximately 2% of women.


Causes and symptoms

The most common bacteria causing mastitis is called Staphylococcus aureus. In 25-30% of people, this bacteria is present on the skin lining normal, uninfected nostrils. It is probably this bacteria, clinging to the baby's nostrils, that is available to create infection when an opportunity (crack in the nipple) presents itself.

Usually, only one breast is involved. An area of the affected breast becomes swollen, red, hard, and painful. Other symptoms of mastitis include fever, chills, and increased heart rate




treatment

As with other breast infections treatment is with appropriate antibiotics, and abscesses should be aspirated or incised and drained.

Any residual inflammation or masses following treatment should be further investigated to exclude a neoplasm.

Recurrent breast infection or abscesses require surgery to remove the diseased duct.

A common complication of draining a periareolar abscess is the formation of a mammary duct fistula.


The antibiotics dicloxacillin and erythromycin are both used to treat mastitis. Breastfeeding should be continued, because the rate of abscess formation (an abscess is a persistent pocket of pus) in the infected breast goes up steeply among women who stop breastfeeding during a bout with mastitis.

Most practitioners allow women to take acetaminophen while nursing, to relieve both fever and pain. As always, breastfeeding women need to make sure that any medication they take is also safe for the baby, since almost all drugs they take appear in the breastmilk. Warm compresses applied to the affected breast can be soothing


Prognosis

Prognosis for uncomplicated mastitis is excellent. About 10% of women with mastitis will end up with an abscess within the affected breast. An abscess is a collection of pus within the breast. This complication will require a surgical procedure to drain the pus.

Prevention

The most important aspect of prevention involves good handwashing to try to prevent the infant from acquiring the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the first place