Treatment of Acute Mastitis
Disease description:
Recently, I was diagnosed with acute mastitis during a check-up. Could you please tell me what does the treatment for acute mastitis involve?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Acute mastitis is an acute suppurative infection of the breast tissue, commonly seen in lactating women, especially primiparas. The treatment mainly includes the following aspects:
1. Physical therapy: Cold compress is suitable for the early stage of mastitis, which can relieve pain and swelling and inhibit the spread of inflammation. Warm compress, after three days of onset, can promote local blood circulation and accelerate the resolution of inflammation. Breast massage can help empty the milk ducts and promote the dissipation of blockages. However, it should be avoided if there is significant local edema or abscess formation.
2. Medication: Acute mastitis usually is caused by bacterial infection; therefore, antibiotics are key to treatment. Commonly used antibiotics include penicillin, erythromycin, cephalosporins, etc. Doctors will select sensitive antibiotics based on the results of bacterial culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing.
3. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment: Herbs such as honeysuckle and forsythia, which have heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, can be used as adjunctive treatments, but must be used under the guidance of a physician.
4. Surgical treatment: For patients with abscess formation, timely incision and drainage should be performed to remove pus and prevent the spread of infection.
