Pain and discomfort in the chest area appear in many women, but not everyone goes to the clinic for examination. Most of the fair sex are not serious enough about their health, always hoping that unpleasant symptoms will disappear by themselves. It is categorically impossible to do this, because these manifestations are a signal of developing breast mastopathy. What is it and why is it important to treat the disease on time?
Mastopathy: basic concepts
The medical term “mastopathy” is a fairly common disease that affects the mammary glands. It is characterized by pathological proliferation of soft tissues of the chest. Such growths are benign neoplasms. By themselves, in some cases, they may not bring discomfort. So why is breast mastopathy dangerous? It becomes the cause for other more serious manifestations.
According to international statistics, about 40% of women have such a diagnosis, while all women are at risk from 14 to 60 years old. In the postmenopausal period, the risk of the disease is significantly reduced. This feature is explained by the direct dependence of the disease on the level of hormones in the female body.
Such a seemingly harmless disease is fraught with great risk, since a benign tumor can at any moment turn into a dangerous malignant one.
Female breast structure
To understand what breast mastopathy is and how to protect yourself from it, you should understand the structural features of the female breast itself.
The entire mammary gland consists of the smallest alveoli - small vesicles, the inner surface of which consists of a special glandular tissue. Alveoli are able to grow and contract, as they are composed of myoepithelial cells. Each alveolus contains many lactocytes and ducts. Through it, an accumulated secret is derived from the alveoli.
One mammary gland consists of approximately 15–20 lobes, from which large milk ducts pass into the nipple. Each lobe is a cluster of smaller ones, there are from 30 to 80. They are formed by a group of 150-200 alveoli.
In addition to lobules from the alveoli in the female breast, there are other types of tissues:
- glandular;
- fatty;
- connecting.
The amount and ratio of these tissues completely determines the size and for the most part the shape of the breast.
Breast mastopathy: what is it and why does it arise
Doctors knowingly associate this disease with the state of the hormonal background of a woman, because it is the level of progesterone and estrogen production that becomes the impetus for the appearance of mastopathy. What causes can cause hormonal imbalances?
- Abortion Artificial abortion is considered to be an ordeal for the body, requiring a restructuring of the work of all organ systems.
- Diseases of the reproductive female system. In the list of such diseases: inflammation of the ovaries, endometriosis, fibroids and many others.
- Irregular sex life, abstinence.
- Numerous sexual partners, promiscuous relationships.
- Some diseases of the thyroid gland and liver.
- Incorrect selection of oral contraceptives or their misuse.
There are other factors that can become an impetus for the appearance of signs of breast mastopathy in women. It should be noted that they only increase the risk of developing the disease, but are not causes:
- various injuries of the mammary gland;
- bad habits (abuse of cigarettes and alcohol);
- constant stressful situations, overwork, frequent depression;
- tight linen (this causes poor circulation in the mammary gland);
- poor ecology in the area of residence;
- heredity - a genetic predisposition slightly increases the risk;
- heavy physical work, excessive stress on the body;
- complete abandonment of breastfeeding or a very short period;
- lack of iodine in the body.
Statistics show that among patients with this diagnosis there are many women who have not given birth before 30 years of age.
Clinical picture
The disease is characterized by a vivid characteristic clinical picture, while the symptoms change over time. At the very beginning of the disease, women feel:
- heaviness in the chest;
- unpleasant and painful sensations in the mammary glands;
- the feeling that there is a foreign object in the chest.
The very onset of the disease is usually accompanied by a change in condition. So, in the first half of the menstrual cycle, women do not feel any special symptoms of breast mastopathy. Pain and severity appear only in the second half, so such manifestations are often regarded as premenstrual syndrome.
The lack of treatment entails a worsening of the condition. The following symptoms are added later:
- a feeling of heaviness and pain becomes permanent;
- pain in breast mastopathy is often given to the armpit;
- small seals appear in the mammary gland - their woman can probe on her own;
- in some cases, a deformation of the mammary gland occurs, which is visible during examination;
- the presence of discharge from the nipples - they can be transparent or yellowish.
At this stage, you cannot postpone a visit to the doctor, since some of the above signs of breast mastopathy are also characteristic of other diseases, for example, oncology.
Several phases of mastopathy
The development of the disease consists of several phases, largely depending on the age of the patient.
1 phase. This stage of the development of the disease is often observed in women under 30 years of age. The peculiarity is that the symptoms are often tied to the menstrual cycle (at this age it is usually regular).
2 phase. This stage is characterized by the most striking manifestations of signs of breast mastopathy and is found in the fair sex at the age of 30 to 40 years. To explain such a pattern is quite easy. The fact is that it is at this age that women often have an imbalance between the amount of two hormones produced: estrogen and progesterone. A change in the hormonal background can provoke a decrease or increase in the hormone prolactin - it is he who is responsible for the engorgement and painful state of the mammary gland).
3 phase. According to medical characteristics, in the third phase of mastopathy, small cysts appear in the mammary gland, in the cavity of which secretory fluid is contained. This stage of the disease is often diagnosed in women aged 40 years and older.
It is worth emphasizing: the division into phases by age can be considered rather arbitrary, since some negative factors can worsen the overall picture of symptoms. In their list of poor ecology of the region and bad habits of the patient.
Types of mastopathy
Speaking of mastopathy, one cannot ignore the differentiation of the disease according to some signs. One of these characteristics is the growth rate of neoplasms. In this regard, distinguish:
- proliferative type - it is characterized by slow growth of connective tissue;
- non-proliferative type - the neoplasm grows much faster, while it requires increased attention from doctors, as it increases the risk of developing breast cancer.
Neoplasms themselves also differ. On this basis, mastopathy is divided into several forms.
Fibrous form
This kind of mastopathy is characterized by the development of fibrosis, that is, cells of the connective tissue located between the ducts. Due to the growth of interductal tissue, the ducts themselves narrow. In especially severe cases, the duct completely closes, which is accompanied by severe pain and the appearance of densified areas in the mammary gland. Fibrous mastopathy of the breast is often observed in women aged 35-40 years.
It is characteristic that the fibrous form of the disease affects mainly the external upper parts of the mammary gland. Pronounced pains of the patient are noted a few days before menstruation - they can cover not only the chest, but also the armpit area, give under the scapula.
Cystic form
To distinguish this form of the disease from all others is quite easy. Its feature is the development of cysts. A cyst is a neoplasm of connective tissue with a cavity inside. The cavity is usually filled with fluid. Depending on the size of the affected area of the mammary gland, cysts are either single or multiple. Clogging of the channels of the mammary gland and the impossibility of the outflow of fluid leads to the appearance of seals. The result is the accumulation of fluid in the lobes and the appearance of dense sections of tissue.
Most patients with cystic breast mastopathy are women who have reached the age of 50. It is at this stage of life in the female body that a serious hormonal malfunction occurs, associated with an increase in estrogen production.
Feature of diffuse cystic mastopathy
This kind of disease has a distinctive feature - the appearance of not one large, but numerous small neoplasms. There is no orderliness in this process, cysts can occur absolutely in different parts of the mammary gland, and quite often both breasts are involved in the process at once.
If pain occurs before menstruation, a woman may complain of the following symptoms of breast mastopathy: discomfort not only in the chest, but also in the area of the shoulder blades, armpits, clavicle. In some cases, the clinical picture may weaken, especially for the long course of the disease.
Diffuse fibrous form
This is another kind of disease, the symptoms of which are completely identical to the signs of other forms of mastopathy. However, there is a significant difference - the formation of a rounded dense node in the mammary gland. Such a node is not connected with the surrounding tissue, is quite mobile and has clear boundaries.
An experienced doctor will be able to easily find this tumor by palpation. More often diffuse fibrotic mastopathy of the mammary glands is observed in girls and women under 25 years of age.
Modern diagnostics
Today, medicine has all the possibilities for early diagnosis of mastopathy, therefore, with the first symptoms, a woman should go to a mammologist - this is what a doctor treats a breast disease.
Primary reception. During it, the doctor collects as much information as possible about the patient and medical history. In this case, details such as symptoms according to the patient, information on the general health status of the woman, the presence or absence of harmful factors will be important.
Palpation. Feeling the mammary glands is one of the main diagnostic methods. An experienced mammologist will detect the presence of neoplasms immediately. Based on these data, a decision will be made on further methods of laboratory and hardware research.
Mammography. It is a special type of hardware diagnostics, during which breast tissue is carefully examined. For patients, such an examination is completely safe and painless. At the same time, the accuracy of this diagnostic method is as high as possible. So, in the presence of neoplasms in the breast, mammography will show pathology in approximately 95% of cases. It is for this reason that women are advised to regularly undergo mammography examinations.
Ultrasound of the breast with mastopathy. Another type of hardware diagnostics, which allows with maximum accuracy to detect the presence of seals in the chest and obtain data on the localization and size of the neoplasm.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging study). This type of diagnosis is not always used. It is indispensable only in cases where all the previous methods did not give a complete picture of the disease.
Blood test for hormones. A laboratory test method allows you to check the level of hormones in the patient’s blood. This characteristic is especially important for the appointment of an effective correct course of therapy.
Biopsy. A biopsy puncture is a procedure during which a long thin needle is inserted into the affected mammary gland. With its help, a tumor tissue sample is extracted. Histological examination determines the nature of the tumor: whether it is benign or malignant. Such a diagnosis is not prescribed to everyone, but only if cancer is suspected in patients.
Hormone treatment
With this treatment, patients are prescribed drugs to restore the hormonal background.
Important! Only a doctor should choose the appropriate hormone therapy, since the wrong choice of the drug and its dose can accelerate the growth of the tumor and cause complications.
The course of hormone therapy is not prescribed in all cases. The decision on this subject is made based on the results of a detailed examination. Several groups of drugs are used as medicines, since it is necessary to treat breast mastopathy for a long and complex.
Oral contraceptives. Their use is rational for women under 35 years old. Such drugs have side effects, so you need to take them out under the supervision of a doctor.
Gestagens. Among such funds are "Utrozhestan", "Progestogel", "Dufaston." They can be presented in different forms (for oral use and for local use).
Prolactin secretion inhibitors. The main objective of such funds is to control the production of the hormone prolactin, which largely restores the health of the mammary gland.
Non-hormonal treatment
How to treat breast mastopathy without hormones? A feature of such therapy is the complete absence of hormonal drugs. Among the advantages of this approach, a small number of side effects and relative safety from the influence of hormones should be mentioned. However, there is a serious drawback: the use of non-hormonal drugs gives the result only with certain forms of mastopathy.
- Anti-inflammatory (for oral administration and as an external agent). With the help of such medications, the symptoms are relieved: pain disappears, the inflammatory process in the tissues is eliminated, the swelling is reduced.
- Vitamin complexes. Vitamins are necessary for the female body to increase immunity, restore the psychological state, block the growth of pathological cells. Especially recommended for those women who regularly face hard physical work, stressful situations.
- Alternative treatment of breast mastopathy. The use of herbal medicine and other means is based only on reducing symptoms and increasing immunity. Using these recipes as the main medicine is not worth it.
- Iodine. Preparations containing an element such as iodine normalize the thyroid gland and significantly inhibit the growth of various types of tumors.
- Homeopathy. The use of such agents helps to reduce prolactin levels. This action allows you to block the growth of the tumor with accelerate recovery.
- Soothing. Quite often, in the treatment of complex and means to normalize the psychological state. Given the fact that breast mastopathy can develop due to stress, sedatives have a positive effect on the whole woman’s body.
Surgical intervention
This option is effective in treating the mammary gland for nodular mastopathy. Under the surgical intervention is understood the operation, during which:
- remove the tumor with a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue (this approach is called sectoral resection);
- the neoplasm is carefully removed without damaging healthy tissue (this operation is called enucleation).
In general, surgery acts as a radical measure when another treatment does not give positive results. There are several recommendations for surgery.
- If a biopsy revealed a malignant origin of the tumor. In this case, you can not hesitate, and treatment of nodular mastopathy of the mammary gland is performed as soon as possible.
- When excessively active growth is observed (the neoplasm has doubled in just a couple of months).
- If after pumping out the fluid during cystic mastopathy of the mammary gland, the cyst after a while is again filled with fluid. Removal of seals is performed under local or general anesthesia, while a woman can return to normal life the very next day.
Food
In addition to complex treatment, a special diet for breast mastopathy is extremely important. It consists in carefully observing proper nutrition. In the diet of women should be present every day a variety of vegetables and fruits in large quantities, fish and lean meat.
What you should definitely refuse is coffee, chocolate, cola, cocoa, as well as strong tea. All of these products contain methylxanthines, which contribute to the appearance and growth of various neoplasms in the tissues.
No matter how terrible and invincible breast mastopathy may be for thousands of women, this is one of the ordinary diseases from which effective means of getting rid have long been found. Timely treatment at the clinic will significantly speed up the healing process and minimize the risk of complications of the disease.