Mastitis - treatment

To date, the incidence of mastitis is very high and on average is up to 16% among all mothers who breastfeed their babies. Most of them are primiparous. As a rule, they do not know how to express the milk correctly, because they do not yet have experience. Also, in those women, whose age exceeds 30 years, while they give birth not for the first time, the increase in the incidence is directly associated with a decrease in protective forces, which can contribute to the current pathological processes in the body.

How does mastitis occur?

Acute lactational mastitis is a consequence of infection with cocci (often golden staphylococcus). In rare cases, mastitis can be a secondary disease. This occurs after the development of the postpartum infection in the body, which is located directly in the female genital organs.

But, nevertheless, in most cases mastitis occurs as a result of infection of the mammary glands through cracked nipples, sometimes the infection penetrates through the ducts of the mammary glands.

Symptoms

As a rule, the symptoms (signs) of mastitis, when you need to see a doctor for the appointment of treatment, are expressed quite clearly. The disease has an acute onset, and develops at 2-4 weeks after childbirth. At the same time, the body temperature of a young mother rises abruptly to 39 ° C, the woman notes general weakness and chills, which gives her reason to assume the development of a common cold. Then, these symptoms are associated with acute pain in the mammary gland, and it becomes painful on palpation.

The main task for a woman after the appearance of these signs, is an immediate address to a doctor. If this is neglected, then the process develops further: an infiltrate is formed in the chest, with palpation, small seals are noted. The area of ​​the skin at the site of the infiltrate becomes red, which is an indispensable manifestation of the development of the inflammatory process.

Treatment

Treatment of infiltrative mastitis in women should be carried out at its first manifestations, since the neglected form is treated only with antibiotics.

Women, for the first time faced with such a problem as mastitis, do not know what to treat it. So, after asking advice from others, they resort to folk methods of treating mastitis, some of which are quite effective.

For example, the use of flaxseed oil, cabbage leaves gives its effect, but only at the initial stages of the disease. In addition, doctors do not recommend the treatment of mastitis on their own, at home, and at his first symptoms seek help from specialists.

The process of treatment of mastitis directly depends on whether it is lactating, or non-lactating.

1. The first form is observed in lactating women, so treatment is aimed at eliminating stagnation and at the same time destroying the infection. In this case, antibiotic therapy is carried out, depending on the type of pathogen.
2. Non-lactational mastitis is observed in women 40-45 years old. First of all, to identify its causes, excision of a part of the abscess is performed. If atypical cells are found in it, the woman is operated.

Treatment of acute postpartum mastitis is the use of antibiotics, along with preventive measures. After eliminating the infection, a woman, in order to avoid another milk stagnation , is recommended to perform breast massage and try to feed the baby more often, which will help to increase the ducts of the breast.

Prevention

Preventive measures play an important role in the treatment of mastitis. They consist in carrying out hygiene of the breast after each feeding, nipple treatment, massage, decanting the remaining milk.