Mastitis in a child can occur in the first weeks of life. This is inflammation of the breast in a girl or breast in a boy. The disease is caused by an infection, it causes great concern to the mother of the baby. Diagnosis is based on clinical and laboratory diagnosis. The disease can occur at an older age.
Mastitis in a newborn
Mastitis in children occurs in boys and girls with the same frequency. In appearance, mastitis is similar to mastopathy. The disease appears after the birth of a child, the cause of it is hormonal changes in the body.
Outwardly, the shape of the mammary gland changes, the color becomes blue-burgundy. Be sure to occur a local temperature increase. Depending on the severity, the overall body temperature rises to 39 degrees. Sometimes pus from the nipple appears.
Diagnosis determines the degree of danger to the baby. The disease can develop rapidly with blood poisoning, which becomes critical to life. Treatment should be carried out only under the supervision of a pediatrician, because self-medication may not produce a result or lead to serious complications.
Forms of mastitis
Mastitis in a child is different. It depends on the place of formation and the form of the current. By localization, the following types of mastitis are distinguished:
- subcutaneous - an abscess is located directly under the skin;
- subareolar - inflammation near the nipple;
- intramammary - deep in the mammary glands;
- retromammary - pus erupts between the pectoral muscle and mammary gland.
The shape of the current is divided into:
- serous;
- serous infiltrative;
- purulent.
The serous form of mastitis lasts for three days, then it is highly likely that it will become purulent. The first signs of the disease are high body temperature, general intoxication of the body, chest pain. In children, subcutaneous mastitis is often found, so the skin in the area of inflammation becomes red, hot. If the development of the disease began in the deep parts of the chest, then the skin color does not change much.
With pathology, a part of the chest is densified. With a small abscess, the seal may not be felt. If the focus of inflammation is small, then with a purulent form of mastitis, body temperature and redness may not be observed.
Purulent inflammation begins after three days from the onset of the disease. With the right treatment, you can stop inflammation in the first day, and the disease will not go into the purulent stage.
If untreated, an abscess can begin within five days, which causes serious complications in the child.
Causes of mastitis
Mastitis in a child develops for several reasons:
- Malfunctioning hormone production.
- Skin damage, inflammatory skin diseases.
- Decrease in the body's immune forces.
- Concomitant chronic diseases.
In order for a healthy child to develop mastitis, two or more factors are required simultaneously. The main reason is a hormonal disorder during the neonatal period or in adolescence.
During hormonal changes, the body becomes sensitive to various infections. If the child has a chronic disease, then the risk of encountering the disease increases.
Additional factors that increase the likelihood of illness:
- diabetes;
- metabolic disease;
- overweight;
- immunodeficiency;
- recent operations;
- infectious diseases;
- autoimmune abnormalities.
Symptoms of mastitis
Symptoms of mastitis depend on the age and form of the disease. A newborn cannot say that it hurts. Mom can see a photo of mastitis in children, usually they are located on stands in many clinics to understand that the cause of swelling can be serious.
In newborns, mastitis is divided into true and physiological. Symptoms of the true form are as follows:
- severe inflammation and enlargement of the mammary gland;
- sudden increase in body temperature to 39 degrees;
- when probing the focus of inflammation, the child is nervous;
- the child is naughty;
- redness in the chest.
When symptoms of true mastitis appear, it is urgent to show the child to the doctor. The pediatrician will prescribe treatment and, if necessary, refer you to the surgeon.
Physiological mastitis occurs much more often and is manifested by the following symptoms:
- on the third day both breast glands enlarge;
- with pressure on the nipple, a white liquid may appear;
- inflammation and redness of the skin is not observed;
- the temperature is normal;
- the child behaves as usual.
Physiological mastitis is a normal condition of the newborn. It is not necessary to treat it. But you can not put pressure on the chest, squeeze the fluid from the nipple. Refuse rough vests. Do not pull the baby’s chest. These simple rules will help prevent the conversion of physiological mastitis into true.
Diagnostics
It is not difficult to diagnose mastitis in a child. A photo of what the inflamed gland looks like can be found in the clinics on the stands. If a pathology is suspected, mother should consult a doctor. The pediatrician conducts a survey with her mother to find out how the disease started.
On examination of the child, the doctor will see an enlarged mammary gland, redness. On palpation, the small patient will begin to resent, the doctor may feel a seal due to the presence of pus.
In children, as a rule, they take a general blood test. In the blood, ESR is increased and the number of leukocytes is increased. In newborns, blood counts may change slightly due to immaturity of the immune system.
Sometimes they test for antibiotic sensitivity of the bacteria that caused the inflammation. This will allow you to accurately prescribe antimicrobials. But in practice, the test is rarely done.
Upon examination, the doctor should exclude physiological mastitis and erysipelas of the skin.
Risk factors for mastitis in the newborn
In a newborn, mastitis rarely develops. Usually, the appearance of the disease is preceded by provoking factors:
- feeding with artificial mixtures from the first days of life;
- premature birth;
- the appearance of complications after childbirth, because of which it was necessary to connect the child to mechanical ventilation;
- physiological mastitis;
- a large period without water during childbirth;
- hypoxia;
- threatened abortion;
- infectious diseases during pregnancy;
- operations of the child;
- somatic diseases;
- injuries to the skin of the mammary glands or nipple.
These reasons are not basic in the development of the disease, but can provoke it when the bacterial flora is attached.
Disease treatment
The treatment of mastitis in children depends on the age of the child and the form of the disease. In newborns, surgery and antimicrobials are required.
In older children, conservative methods are used in the initial stages of the development of the disease. If the treatment does not bring results or an abscess develops, then the pus is removed promptly.
To properly treat mastitis in a child, follow the rules:
- bed rest is recommended;
- use of immunostimulants;
- apply cold to inflamed areas;
- use of antibiotics;
- gland massage.
Antibiotic therapy brings a good result in the treatment. They use broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents:
- Ampicillin is widely used in young children. Suppresses the activity of many bacteria, but can cause allergic reactions.
- "Amikacin" provokes the death of bacteria.
To reduce body temperature, paracetamol-based children’s drugs are used, after 3 months, ibuprofen is used.
Possible complications
Purulent mastitis in a child can lead to serious complications. Particular attention should be paid to newborns, since there is a risk of developing blood poisoning within a few hours after the onset of symptoms of the disease.
With the surgical treatment of mastitis in girls, problems with lactation may occur in the future.
This is not a dangerous disease in the early stages, but preventive measures must be taken to prevent it.
Prevention of ailment
For the prevention of mastitis in a newborn, the following rules must be observed:
- feed the baby with breast milk;
- try not to get SARS during pregnancy;
- avoid injury to the breasts of the newborn;
- observe the rules of hygiene of the newborn;
- use clean diapers and underwear for the baby;
- exclude communication of the newborn with sick people;
- when physiological mastitis occurs, consult a pediatrician for observation;
- Do not pull the baby’s chest;
- Wear clothing that does not rub your skin.
If signs of pathology appear, it is necessary to show the child to the pediatrician to determine the treatment regimen. Timely treatment started will exclude the development of serious complications.