Symptoms of Acute Mastitis
Disease description:
The breast is red, swollen, and particularly painful, with a hard lump upon palpation, and the body temperature is also slightly elevated. After a friend's reminder, I'm worried it might be acute mastitis. What are the specific symptoms of this condition?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
The main symptoms of acute mastitis include redness, swelling, heat, and pain in the breast, nipple discharge, breast induration, and systemic symptoms.
Acute mastitis is an acute suppurative infection of breast tissue, commonly seen in lactating women, especially primiparas. The affected area of skin appears red and swollen, with obvious pain upon palpation and increased local temperature. During non-lactation periods, yellow or bloody discharge may occur from the nipple, resulting in nipple discharge. In addition, a poorly defined hard mass may be palpated within the breast, accompanied by tenderness.
Patients may experience systemic symptoms such as fever, chills, and fatigue. In severe cases, symptoms of sepsis such as high fever, chills, vomiting, and coma may occur. In some instances, lymph nodes in the same side of the armpit may swell and become painful due to the inflammatory response caused by mastitis.
If left untreated, acute mastitis can lead to the formation of a breast abscess, which in severe cases requires surgical drainage. Prompt medical attention is necessary when the aforementioned symptoms appear, with treatment involving antibiotics, heat application, massage, and other methods to promote milk drainage and prevent worsening of the condition.
