About the disease
Breast abscess is a condition, when pus collects in the breast. It usually develops as a result of an infection and it mostly develops right under the skin. The infection, which causes developement of a breast abscess, is bacterial and can be caused by a mastitis, another common breast condition. Breast abscess usually manifcests itself in red and swollen lumps, which cause a woman to feel pain and irritation in the affected parts. The surrounding skin in the breast abscess becomes swollen and feels hot as well. Usually women with breast abscess have high fever, which is a common symptom for all bacterial infections. Mastitis, which, as it was mentioned above, is a precipitating factor for this disease, usually develops in breastfeeding women, who become more exposed to various infections that women who did not give birth. A owmen can develop infection during a breastfeeding period if her milk ducts become obstructed for some reason or if bacteria entered through the breast tissue because of certain environmental factors. In some case nipple piercings, if they were not done professionally, can also result in development of an infection. If a nipple becomes sore or cracked, it is more highly to become susceptible to different infections.
When body fights the infection with special delete blood cells, a certain breast tissue can die, causing the pus to accumulate and a woman to develop the breast abscess. According to statistics, 3% of women who had mastitis developed breast abscess afterwards when the treatment was finished. Also, 1 out of 10 breastfeeding women develops mastitis, which usually does not present any danger and is a very common condition.
Symptoms
- Red and swollen lumps in the breast
- Painful sensation
- Fever
- Feeling of heat
Diagnosis
- During general examination a gynecologist or a GP will examine the swollen areas of the breast to identify the source of pain and determine nature of a lump, which is usually soft. Previous history of mastitis or piercing on nipple can be another manifestations of this disease, which make it easy to diagnose it.
- A complete blood count is used to determine if a woman has infection, which is usually present in patients with breast abscess.
- An ultrasound may be ordered to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment
- Abscess incision and drainage is the most commonly used treatment option for this disease, as it is also the most effective one. During a drainage a doctor first makes an incision of an abscess and then drains it with a special needle and syringe.This procedure is performed to drain all of the pus which accumulated in the abscess. Before the procedure a woman may be given special anesthetic to numb the area, so that she will not feel pain during the drainage. After this procedure woman needs to recover for several days before she can continue normal breastfeeding. In some cases breastfeeding needs to be stopped for a longer period of time.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Farrukh Ahmed
