Diffuse mastopathy with a fibrous component. Diffuse fibrous form of mastopathy

Mastopathy is associated with an abnormal proliferation of breast tissue. The development of these organs is regulated by female sex hormones. The unsuccessful state of the endocrine system, in which the hormonal background is disrupted in the body, is called one of the main causes of breast diseases. Such pathologies are not uncommon, and no woman is insured against their occurrence. It is necessary that everyone understands how important it is to independently control the state of the glands, if mastopathy occurs, to notice its first symptoms in time.

Content:

Diffuse fibrous changes in breast tissue

Diffuse mastopathy is a disease in which many small foci of modified tissues are scattered throughout the gland. Sometimes they form separate groups (for example, located in the upper outer part of the gland). Such neoplasms are benign in nature, but in some cases their malignant transformation occurs.

Diffuse fibrous mastopathy is a condition that is associated with the proliferation of fibrous tissue (the fibers that make up the frame of the mammary gland and the epithelium that covers the ducts and lobules). Improper formation of cell layers leads to the formation of scars in the connective (fibrous) fibers. The so-called tissue fibrosis occurs.

The increased proliferation of connective tissue cells leads to the fact that they displace the cells of the glandular tissue. This reduces the number of ducts and lobules. Fibrous mastopathy is characterized by the fact that the cells of the outer epithelium grow inside the ducts, can completely block them, damage the lobules.

As a result, foci of tissue scarring are formed in the mammary gland, which are felt in the form of seals of various sizes. In some of them, small cysts appear. If there are so many such cysts that they occupy the largest part of the volume of the gland, then they speak of the occurrence of diffuse fibrocystic disease. Diffuse fibrous mastopathy (fibroadenomatosis) can be found both in one mammary gland and in both.

Mastopathy occurs in women at the age when they are most often faced with the impact on the body of unfavorable factors that can affect the state of the hormonal background (25-45 years). During the postmenopausal period, the level of sex hormones drops to a minimum, so this pathology does not occur in older women.

Video: Causes and diagnosis of mastopathy

Causes of mastopathy

The main reason for abnormal tissue development and the occurrence of fibrosis is a decrease in progesterone levels and an excessive increase in estrogen. The causes of hormonal disorders can be:

1. Incorrect production of sex hormones in the ovaries due to the occurrence of inflammatory processes in them, the formation of tumors.
2. Inflammatory diseases of other organs of the reproductive system that occur when they are damaged during operations, childbirth or as a result of improper hygienic care. Such processes can quickly spread from the vagina to the uterus and ovaries. The same applies to infectious diseases that arise when the microflora of the vagina is disturbed or pathogens enter the organs during intercourse.
3. Disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary system of the brain. The functioning of the ovaries depends entirely on the content of the pituitary hormones in the body (follicle-stimulating and luteinizing). Failure in the work of this organ leads to the occurrence of diffuse fibrous mastopathy and other diseases of the mammary glands.
4. Prolactinemia is an increased content of prolactin (also a pituitary hormone). Prolactin is the main hormone responsible for breast development and functioning.
5. Termination of pregnancy, refusal of breastfeeding or its early termination, lack of regular sex life, pregnancy and childbirth.
6. Disorders of metabolism and functioning of the thyroid, pancreas. Improper implementation of lipid metabolism leads to an increase in fat mass in the body. She is able to produce estrogens, although not in such quantities as the ovary. Obesity leads to hyperestrogenism. Often women with diabetes mellitus suffer from mastopathy.
7. The use of hormonal drugs with a high content of estrogen (in the treatment of infertility, amenorrhea, various menstrual abnormalities).

The factors provoking the onset of diffuse fibrous mastopathy are nervous fatigue, depression. Ultraviolet radiation in a tanning bed or during prolonged exposure to sunlight has a harmful effect. The disease occurs more often in women who smoke.

At risk are women with a hereditary predisposition to diseases of this kind, as well as women with chest injuries, malignant tumors of the genital organs.

Symptoms of mastopathy

The first signs of diffuse mastopathy may be changes in the state of the mammary glands a few days before menstruation. Even if a woman is healthy, swelling and slight soreness in her breasts is normal for her. It is necessary to pay attention to this sign if the breast enlargement is greater than usual (possibly asymmetrical enlargement of the glands), the pain is felt more strongly. Painful premenstrual symptom in many cases turns out to be a manifestation of diffuse mastopathy. Seals during menstruation can decrease and even dissolve, and subsequently reappear, since the cause of the pathology remains.

During self-examination of the breast, a woman discovers small scattered seals, changes in the shape of the breast, if a large number of nodules are grouped together. Sometimes there is a discharge from the nipple of a white or transparent liquid, which indicates the development of pathology in the lobules and milk ducts.

Depending on the severity of symptoms, the following forms of diffuse fibrous mastopathy are distinguished:

1. Expressed implicitly. There is a lot of adipose tissue in the mammary gland, due to which the fibrous lumps are poorly felt and are not very painful.
2. A state of moderate severity of symptoms. Fatty tissue is less, but still sufficient to mitigate the symptoms of the disease.
3. Severe fibrosis. Connective tissue predominates in the chest. It is very painful to touch the chest. The feeling of pain is constant, does not depend on the period of the menstrual cycle.

One of the symptoms of mastopathy may be an increase in lymph nodes under the armpits, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe collarbones. A neglected disease leads to the appearance of atypical cells in the tissues of the breast, the emergence of a cancerous tumor.

Diagnostics

A universal diagnostic method that can be used when examining women of any age, including pregnant women, is an ultrasound of the mammary glands. The method is safe and quite informative, it allows you to study the structure of tissues and notice the slightest seals.

Mammography (X-ray of the mammary glands) is also an important diagnostic method. It gives more detailed information about the state of tissues and blood vessels. But there are contraindications to its use. The use of radioactive radiation does not allow its use for examining women under 35 years of age, pregnant women, lactating women. It is also not suitable for women with small breasts.

Diagnosis by these methods is carried out immediately after the end of menstruation, when the chest is least strained. If there are suspicions about the nature of the lumps, a biopsy of the mammary glands is done. Tests of blood and fluid discharged from the nipple can establish the presence of inflammatory processes.

Video: Treatment of diffuse fibrous mastopathy

Treatment of fibrous mastopathy

Surgical treatment is carried out only in extremely advanced cases, when the size of the seals is more than 2 cm, and a biopsy shows that a malignant transformation has occurred. To eliminate seals, a conservative method of treatment is mainly used. The restoration of the hormonal background, regulation of the work of the ovaries and pituitary gland with medications is carried out.

Drug treatment

A decrease in estrogen levels is achieved by taking progestogens (drugs based on progesterone). These include dyufaston, utrozhestan. For rubbing into the chest, progestin is used - a gel of the same action. They are taken in the second half of the cycle.

Prescribed drugs that suppress the production of prolactin (parlodel), which are taken in the middle and second half of the cycle, as well as antiestrogens (tamoxifen). Women under 35 years old are prescribed oral contraceptives (Marvelon, Janine), which suppress ovulation. Women over 45 are prescribed drugs based on male sex hormones (methyltestosterone). Before the appointment of such funds, a study of the hormonal background is required, and the general state of health is also studied (the presence of liver, kidney, blood diseases).

Prescribed iodine preparations (iodomarin), drugs that compensate for the lack of thyroid hormones (eutirox). In the treatment of diffuse fibrous mastopathy, homeopathic herbal remedies are also used, such as mastodinon, klamin.

To eliminate the causes of the onset of the disease, drugs are prescribed that calm the nervous system, as well as vitamins and immunomodulators. Pain relievers, diuretics are used to remove fluid from body tissues and eliminate edema.

Physiotherapy is used (laser therapy, electrophoresis and others).

Warning: In the presence of diffuse mastopathy, you can not drink coffee, cola, eat chocolate, use hot spices. They contain substances that contribute to the development of fibrosis.

Any treatment should be prescribed only by a doctor. Hormonal drugs are taken according to a specific schedule. Attempts to self-eliminate seals and painful sensations, including folk remedies, can cause great harm and lead to a worsening of the condition.

Home remedies

A temporary analgesic effect can be achieved by lubricating the mammary gland with burdock oil, applying a cabbage leaf, a compress from grated raw beets, burdock leaves, which have a resorbing effect. As an auxiliary home remedy for mastopathy, an infusion prepared from dill seeds, chamomile flowers, valerian root, and mint leaves is used. Take 10 g of all components, brew with a glass of boiling water. It is necessary to drink 1 glass of warm infusion in 3 doses every day. After a few days, the swelling and inflammation in the chest disappears.

In recent decades, there has been a steady increase in the number of women seeking medical attention for benign breast diseases. Similar pathological conditions, one of which is diffuse mastopathy, are united by the general term "mastopathy" and differ in anatomical and histological signs, clinical manifestations and the degree of danger of degeneration into cancer. All these factors are responsible for the high urgency of the problem.

The principle of the formation of pathological changes

Mastopathy, or fibrocystic disease (in accordance with the definition of the World Health Organization) is a complex of hyperplastic (proliferation) processes in the mammary glands, caused by an imbalance of hormones in the body.

In clinical practice, mastopathy is divided into forms:

• diffuse;
• nodal;
• mixed.

The need for such a division is explained mainly by the question of how to treat diffuse mastopathy, that is, with the choice of one or another treatment tactic. Diffuse mastopathy is observed by surgeons, gynecologists, therapists, oncologists and is treated with the use of complex therapeutic agents, nodular mastopathy is treated mainly by surgical methods in oncological centers with subsequent drug therapy and is observed only by oncologists.

If earlier various forms were found in 30-70% of women mainly at the age of 30-50 years, and among women with gynecological diseases this indicator was 75-98%, then in recent years it often occurs even in adolescent girls and in women in the involutionary period ...

Development mechanism

Effective, especially in mastodynia, is a hormonal preparation for external use - 1% gel "Progestogel" containing progesterone, identical to the endogenous (synthesized in the body). It must be rubbed into the skin of the glands daily for 3 to 4 months. In total, 2 courses are held in 1 year for two years.

Disease severity

Can diffuse mastopathy develop into cancer?

Directly - no. Mastopathy as such is not considered a precancerous disease. However, their main characteristic is common causal risk factors and the presence of similar hormonal and metabolic disorders. There was a significant similarity and morphological changes in nodular forms of mastopathy and malignant neoplasms.

These diseases are often combined. In accordance with the data of histological studies, cancerous tumors against the background of benign neoplasms are found in 46%, that is, on average, 5 times more often. At the same time, the risk of degeneration into a malignant tumor with non-proliferative forms of mastopathy is 0.86%, moderately proliferative - 2.34%, with mastopathy with significant proliferation of the glandular epithelium - 31.4%.

Can diffuse mastopathy develop into nodular?

While the risk factors that caused the disease remain, this is possible. The nodular form essentially represents the next stage in the development of mastopathy. It is characterized by the formation in both or one of the mammary glands of one or multiple permanent limited seals (nodes), the changes in which no longer depend on the menstrual cycle.

Given these factors, women with identified mastopathy in any form are subject to appropriate treatment and should be under constant dynamic supervision.

Mastopathy is a real scourge for a modern woman. In principle, almost every second woman in the world has several risks that can provoke the development of this pathology in one way or another.

Moreover, a large number of women have already encountered this disease of the mammary glands and are forced to engage in its treatment.

What is this disease

Diffuse fibrous mastopathy is a pathology in which there is a significant predominance of the proliferation of connective tissue in the mammary gland. Fibrous mastopathy is characterized by the predominance of the stromal component over the others and is considered a rather malignant pathology.

It is worth noting that, despite the great danger, diffuse fibrous mastopathy is still a benign process, so you should not be afraid of the disease, although treatment is necessary.

When assessing the risks during the development of diffuse mastopathy with a predominance of the fibrous component, it is necessary to take into account the forms of mastopathy, its prevalence, the general condition of the woman, in order to most correctly predict how the disease will develop and what to expect from it.

Reasons for education

As with any other mastopathy, diffuse fibrous mastopathy is characterized by the main reason that triggers an uncontrolled process of tissue proliferation with a predominance of the fibrous component. This is due to hormonal imbalance, which has a great effect on hormone-dependent tissues.

In turn, the following factors can lead to the development of hormonal imbalance:

Heredity also plays a large role in the development of pathology, which cannot be discounted. Often, if the mother has mastopathy, then the daughter will also develop this pathology in a high degree of probability.

Doctors also say that the development of mastopathy is facilitated by the woman's increased love for alcohol and smoking, as well as the abuse of such procedures as tanning beds and topless tanning.

Subtypes of the disease

Fibrous mastopathy has two main forms.

Symptoms of mastopathy

Disease of the mammary glands can manifest itself rather weakly, especially at the beginning of tissue proliferation with a predominance of the fibrous component. Often women completely ignore such characteristic symptoms as:

As the proliferation of tissue with a predominance of the fibrous component is more active, the following symptoms may join, which the woman is no longer able to ignore:

• pain in the area of \u200b\u200bthe mammary glands becomes constant, causing a large number of inconveniences, they do not stop, despite the end of the luteal phase of the cycle;
• in the area of \u200b\u200bthe mammary glands, it turns out to grope seals of a soft consistency, which respond to attempts to palpate them with tangible pain;
• a serous fluid may be released from the nipple.

As soon as a woman discovers one or more symptoms when examining the mammary glands, she is advised not to postpone a visit to a specialist.

Diagnosis of the disease

The diagnosis of the disease begins, as always, with the examination and questioning of the patient.

During the examination, the doctor pays attention to how long a woman has been complaining about the pathology of the mammary glands, when the first symptoms appeared and how they are expressed. Also, the gynecological history must be specified, which provides significant assistance in the diagnosis of the disease.

After the interview, the doctor examines the mammary glands using palpation. This procedure may not be very pleasant, but it is necessary to understand the nature of the disease.

During the examination, the doctor pays attention to changes in the skin and the condition of the nipple, and can also detect the presence of one or more seals in the thickness of the mammary glands.

An obligatory element of the diagnostic search is an ultrasound study, which helps to determine the diffuse pathology of the mammary glands and to decide what treatment should be.

Mammography is also mandatory, which allows you to specifically assess the number and localization of neoplasms, as well as their structural features.

Treatment measures

Treatment of diffuse fibrous mastopathy begins with changing the patient's lifestyle and prescribing a variety of medications. If the doctor is dealing with advanced breast disease, he can choose a strategy for surgery, but this is rarely done.

Treatment of pathology begins with a change in lifestyle, since without this, drug treatment will be ineffective. So, for example, patients are advised to stop smoking and drinking alcohol, begin to closely monitor nutrition and begin to engage in exercise therapy or other types of physical activity.

It is worth noting that treatment only through lifestyle changes cannot be effective, since it does not produce an effect on the underlying cause of the pathology.

Treatment should also be supplemented with medications with a hormonal component. This approach will help normalize hormone levels. Women should remember that hormonal treatment is prescribed only by a specialist.

If we are talking about a woman over 45, then her treatment may even include taking male sex hormones if necessary.

Also, medication and lifestyle changes can be supplemented with the use of folk remedies, which are also considered quite effective.

Treatment cannot be carried out with only one thing. Therapy will be effective only if it is carried out comprehensively and fully. If you neglect any recommendations or self-medicate, you can only worsen your own condition.

Prevention

For the prevention of diffuse fibrous mastopathy, effective measures have not yet been developed, but the minimum that a woman can do to maintain her own health is to conduct regular self-examinations and be attentive to her health.

Palpation during self-examination should be careful and gentle, and the examination itself must be conducted from the periphery of the mammary glands to their center, which will reduce the likelihood that some part will be missed in the process.

In addition to regular self-examinations, women are advised to adhere to elementary rules for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as well as timely treat chronic diseases of various organs and systems.

An important element of prevention is constant monitoring of the level of stressful influences and, if necessary, visiting a psychotherapist or taking medications with sedative properties.

Diffuse fibrous mastopathy of the mammary glands, although it requires competent treatment, is still not a sentence for a woman. With the right therapy, the disease can be stopped, and it will cease to cause inconvenience.

Diffuse fibrocystic breast disease is a benign oncological process that affects the breast tissue. With the development of mastopathy, the ratio between the epithelial and interstitial components is disturbed, since there are phenomena of proliferation and regression.

The urgency of this disease is due to the fact that it should be considered as a background against which malignant processes can develop. The frequency of degeneration into a malignant form depends on the severity of the proliferative process in mastopathy. So, with severe proliferation, the risk of developing breast cancer is 32%, and with mild proliferation - only 1%

What it is?

Fibrocystic mastopathy is a violation of the ratio of the connective and epithelial components of the breast tissue, accompanied by changes of a proliferative and regressive nature.

It is customary to distinguish two forms of the disease:

1. Non-proliferative form. With this form of the disease, cysts of various sizes are formed inside the breast: from a few millimeters to several centimeters. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, structures are formed that resemble bunches of grapes. As the pathology progresses, the process of increased collagen production starts, which leads to the thickening of the connective tissue, its proliferation and the formation of scars. As a result, the lobules that represent the mammary gland stretch and cysts form inside them. The non-proliferative form of the disease does not give a high risk of malignancy of the pathological process. It is no more than 0.86%.
2. The proliferative form is characterized by the start of the proliferation process, that is, the proliferation of epithelial and connective tissue by dividing their cells. With proliferation of moderate severity, the risk of degeneration of the pathological process into a malignant one is 2.34%. With a pronounced degree of proliferation, these values \u200b\u200bincrease to 31.4%.

If we turn to the statistics of the disease in general, then among women around the world there is a tendency to an increase in pathology. In the reproductive age, the disease affects on average up to 40% of women. If there is a history of multiple gynecological diseases, then the risk of encountering mastopathy ranges from 70 to 98%.

The high-risk group includes women who suffer from hyperplastic pathologies of the genital organs. Diffuse fibrocystic breast disease is less common during menopause. Up to 20% of women suffer from it. After menopause occurs, new cystic growths usually do not appear. This statistical fact is also another proof of the direct participation of hormones in the development of the disease.

Causes of mastopathy

The main reason for the appearance of mastopathy is considered to be a hormonal imbalance, which consists in an increased production of the hormone estrogen.

Also, hormonal disorders can be triggered by the following factors:

1. Multiple abortions, the consequence of which is always a severe hormonal disruption of the entire endocrine system of the body;
2. Gynecological diseases, both inflammatory (endometritis, adnexitis) and tumors (uterine myoma, ovarian cysts, endometriosis);
3. Lack of pregnancies under 30 years old;
4. The likelihood of mastopathy increases in the presence of endocrine diseases (thyroid dysfunction, diabetes mellitus), as well as liver and biliary tract diseases (hepatitis, cholecystitis, etc.)
5. Refusal to breastfeed or its duration is too short (less than 6 months). If a woman breastfeeds her baby for more than 6 months, this reduces the risk of developing mastopathy by 2 times.

Other contributing factors:

1. Breast trauma (blows, strong squeezing);
2. Psychoemotional factors (depression, neuroses, stress, chronic fatigue syndrome);
3. Hereditary predisposition;
4. Bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse, fashion for tanning).

Clinically, there are two main forms of mastopathy: diffuse and nodular.

Symptoms

According to experts, the diffuse form of the disease is its initial stage. That is why the symptoms of the disease in some patients are sufficiently blurred, as a result of which women may not pay due attention to their condition for a long time. However, without treatment, the disease progresses.

There are certain signs that make it possible to suspect diffuse fibrocystic mastopathy in a patient:

1. Swelling of the mammary glands and an increase in their volume.
2. Chest pain. It has an aching dull character and disappears after the onset of menstruation. Over time, the pain sensations become more and more intense and long-lasting, they can be localized not only in the chest, but also in the arm, shoulder or armpit. In some patients, even a light touch of the affected gland can cause pain. With the further development of the disease, the pains become less significant.
3. Enlargement of the lymph nodes located in the armpits.
4. Loss of sleep, fear and anxiety.
5. Discharge from the nipples. They are very different: abundant or scarce, bloody or colorless.
6. Changes in the skin on the nipples: cracks, retraction of the nipple or skin.
7. The appearance in the tissues of formations. They can be either multiple (resembling a bunch of grapes) or single. Such formations do not have clear boundaries and can be found in different places of the mammary glands.

The degree of manifestation of symptoms of diffuse mastopathy depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle: they make themselves felt most strongly in the second half of the cycle, and after the onset of critical days, the symptoms are smoothed out. In many women, at later stages of the development of the disease, pain and seals remain regardless of the phase of the cycle.

Why is mastopathy dangerous?

Diffuse fibrocystic pathology (FCM) is a benign process characterized by abnormal development of breast tissue. Some types of cells are actively multiplying (that is, proliferation occurs), others regress - as a result, the ratio of the connective tissue component and the active secretory tissue itself changes.

Despite the declared benignity of fibrocystic changes, mastopathy is a beneficial background for the development of malignant oncological diseases, therefore it belongs to precancerous conditions. With active proliferation of cells of the affected gland, the risk of cancers reaches 32%. With less activity of the pathological process, the risk decreases to 1%, but this indicator cannot be neglected.

The vast majority of cases of diagnosis of fibrocystic pathology occur in women of childbearing age, whose mammary glands are active. In the period of perimenopause, there are significantly fewer such pathologies. Women hardly pay attention to the primary signs of the disease, since they are not expressed in serious pain and are perceived as temporary discomfort. However, with age, the disease progresses and can lead to dangerous consequences.

Diagnostics

Given the technical capabilities of diagnostic medicine, it is not difficult to identify diffuse cystic mastopathy. All middle-aged women must undergo a screening or prophylactic examination. From the age of 35, an ultrasound of the mammary gland is done once a year, from the age of 40, an X-ray mammography is prescribed once a year.

If a woman has signs of diffuse fibrocystic mastopathy, then the doctor prescribes diagnostic methods. Possible options:

1. Endocrinologist and oncologist consultation.
2. Anamnesis collection ─ general information, complaints, family history.
3. Examination of the breast, palpation.
4. Examination for gynecological diseases, taking smears.
5. Ductography ─ X-ray examination of the milk ducts using a contrast agent.
6. Ultrasound examination, in which benign and malignant formations are assessed with high accuracy.
7. A biopsy of a lump or cyst is a histological examination of the tissues of the formation.
8. X-ray mammography is a study with a low radiation dose and minimal stress on the body.
9. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) with contrast.
10. Blood tests for hormones: TSH, svT4, LH, FSH, prolactin, estradiol, progesterone.
11. Ultrasound of the thyroid and adrenal glands.
12. Microscopic examination of the separated nipple

There is no degeneration of diffuse fibrocystic mastopathy into cancer. The danger lies in the fact that the disease interferes with the timely recognition of the presence of a malignant process in the breast.

Treatment

The chosen method of treatment for fibrocystic breast disease depends on the stage of the disease. Basically, it is complex, that is, it is accompanied by taking medications, eliminating diseases that have become precursors of this disease, as well as adhering to a diet and using folk remedies.

Treatment of diffuse fibrocystic breast disease of the mammary glands is carried out with the help of non-hormonal medications.

These include the following:

• FCM treatment does not go away without taking vitamin-containing medications. In this case, you will need to take vitamins for a fairly long period of time. Particular attention is paid to vitamins of groups A, B, E and C.
• Preparations that contain a lot of iodine in their composition. These are "Yod-active", "Yodomarin", "Klamin". They help restore the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. However, it is strictly forbidden to appoint them yourself.
• With severe pain syndrome with breast disease, treatment is carried out using pain relievers. For example, "Diclofenac".
• Homeopathic remedies will help to reduce the production of prolactin. "Mastodinon", "Remens", "Cyclodinon" have positive reviews. For the desired effect, you need to take medications for at least six months.
• To reduce nervous tension, the patient may need sedatives and sedatives. Tinctures based on motherwort, valerian and other medicinal plants help very well.

Diffuse fibrotic breast disease should include treatment that will be aimed at restoring the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian function. Most often, it is recommended to use hormonal agents for this. These include the following:

• Oral contraceptives are "Marvelon" and "Janine". The peculiarity of their reception lies in strict adherence to the instructions.
• Medicines based on gestagens. These include "Utrozhestan", "Dyufaston", "Norethisteron". It is best to take them during the second phase of the menstrual cycle. Otherwise, the effect will not be as strong.
• Women who have crossed the age of 45 should take androgens. These drugs include "Methyltestosterone", "Fareston" and "Tamoxifen". The duration of the course of treatment is set individually, depending on each case of the disease.
• In advanced cases of the disease, it is advisable to use inhibitors for treatment that stimulate the production of prolactin. This is the drug "Parlodel".

It is advisable to carry out therapy for fibrocystic mastopathy only after a thorough medical examination, which will establish a variety of forms of breast disease. When diagnosing a cystic type of ailment, a puncture and cytological examination of the breast tissue will be required. In the case of establishing the presence of a tumor of a benign nature, it may be sufficient to carry out an operation.

Treatment with folk remedies

Mastopathy is a disease known since ancient times, therefore there are many popular recipes. But it is important to remember that in this way only the disease is cured in the early stages of its development and taking into account the doctor's recommendations.

Tinctures. Prepared with herbs infused with alcohol. They can be prepared by yourself or you can buy ready-made at the pharmacy:

• alcoholic tincture of boron uterus;
• tincture of pine nut shells;
• propolis tincture.

Broths. They help to normalize hormonal levels, cope with tumors and get rid of associated inflammatory diseases in the body. Herbs are infused in boiling water and taken orally. For the treatment of diffuse fibrocystic mastopathy, it is recommended to drink herbal decoctions:

• burdock root;
• boron uterus;
• a red brush to regulate the thyroid gland;
• yarrow;
• chaga.

Lotions and compresses... Herbal compresses should be applied overnight to the chest for several weeks to achieve the following result:

• burdock leaf compress;
• cabbage compress with honey;
• rye flour tortilla;
• pumpkin compress;
• a compress of grated beets with honey.

The use of alternative methods for the treatment of fibrocystic mastopathy should also take place under the supervision of a doctor. Herbal medicine implies the possibility of preparing decoctions from several herbs at once or using ready-made preparations that can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Diet

A therapeutic diet should contain foods to stabilize hormonal levels. Food should be rich in fiber (greens, cereals).

It is important to take natural estrogen (legumes, cabbage of all varieties). Vitamin therapy strengthens the immune system and gives the body strength (citrus fruits, raw vegetables and fruits). Natural iodine is a medicine for mastopathy. Eating fish, seafood, liver and sour milk will replenish the body with phospholipids. It is necessary to consume 2 liters of plain water, this will help the fastest restoration of metabolic processes.

Most often, to cure any ailment, it helps to abandon the usual wrong way of life. Fibrocystic breast disease is easier to prevent, and this requires a timely visit to the doctor. At the initial stage of the disease, it is easier to defeat the disease.

Prevention and possible complications

Compliance with preventive measures reduces the risk of illness and promotes a speedy recovery if present. These include: giving up bad habits, avoiding stressful situations, choosing the right underwear, keeping an active lifestyle, reducing salt intake, timely treatment of diseases of the pelvic organs.

The correct selection of hormonal contraceptives and regular visits to the oncologist and mammologist are important (at least 1 time per year). Breastfeeding for more than 6 months reduces the risk of developing cancer by 2 times.

All women, including healthy women, need to learn how to check their breasts on their own. This advice is especially relevant in the periclimacteral period (after the age of 45). This is done by visual inspection of the breast in a mirror and palpation while lying and standing. If any abnormal lump is detected, see a doctor.

Despite the benign course, fibrocystic changes are a favorable background for the development of malignant diseases. With active proliferation (proliferation) of affected cells, the risk of cancer is 32%. With less activity of the pathological process, the risk decreases to 1%.

Diffuse fibrous mastopathy is a disease of the female breast, characterized by an impaired ratio of glandular and fibrous breast tissue. This disease is one of five types of diffuse mastopathy. The term "diffuse" means that the changes in the glandular tissue are not expressed in the form of formations with clear boundaries, are scattered and blurred.

The creators of the classification of diffuse mastopathy recognize its conventionality, but emphasize the importance of separating different forms for the individualization of treatment.

In the international medical classification ICD 10, mastopathy is included in the group under number N60 - Benign Breast Dysplasia.

The collective clinical image of patients with diffuse fibrous mastopathy is age up to 35 years, impaired neurohumoral regulation, changes in the cycles of division and extinction of connective and epithelial cells in the breast. Focal diffuse and structural changes in the breast are found in 39% of surveyed women who live in Russia. Breast changes can be both unilateral and bilateral, manifest themselves rather moderately or acutely.

Clinical signs appear differently depending on the stage of the disease:

1. First stage. Pain in the mammary glands becomes intensified a week before the onset of menstruation, on the rest of the days they do not bother or are rather moderate. In this case, the pain can be both intense and weak. At this stage, it is difficult for a woman to understand whether this is a premenstrual syndrome or signs of a developing disease.
2. Second phase. The pains become more and more intense, reaching their peak, during which it is impossible to touch the swollen chest. Pain in diffuse mastopathy begins to spread in the armpits, arms and shoulders. In connection with strong unpleasant sensations, patients begin to experience panic, a feeling of fear, anxiety due to the unknown, some are visited by paranoid thoughts about the danger of cancer. More sensitive and susceptible women develop insomnia and lose their appetite.
3. The final stage. The pain begins to subside, and the structure of the breast tissue changes. On palpation, the doctor feels a coarsening of glandular lobules, small granular formations located chaotically, as well as foci of seals in the form of strands. When you press on the nipples, a bloody, colostrum or watery discharge appears.

Symptoms prevail depending on the ratio of involutive and fibrotic changes in the breast tissue.

Development reasons

At the heart of the violation of normal cell division in the breast, changes in the composition of its tissues and diffuse fibrous mastopathy is the broad concept of "neurohormonal disorders". Under the wording there are two big reasons - disruption in the work of the nervous and endocrine systems.

The hypothalamic-pituitary system in the brain controls many of the endocrine glands that are responsible for the release of hormones into the blood. With its improper functioning, the hormonal balance shifts, the processes of chaotic division of breast cells are triggered.

Other reasons include:

• mechanical lesions of the chest, infectious diseases, abscesses
• uncontrolled use of contraception
• multiple abortions or pregnancies
• period before menopause

Diagnostics

Modern diagnostics in the mammologist's office for breast diseases involves the use of the Bi RADS method. This system was developed by American doctors, it includes a complete description and processing of data after all the necessary breast examinations have been carried out, and helps to localize the location of formations and changes. The description of the results takes place in a terminology specially created for the system, which excludes the setting of an incorrect diagnosis. After the examination, the conclusion and recommendations of the doctor are issued in special categories.

X-ray and echographic methods fall under the research of the Bi RADS system. The first includes mammography, which is performed strictly from the age of 35, provided that the patient is not pregnant or breastfeeding at the moment. The second includes ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to diagnose echo signs of diffuse fibrous mastopathy in both nulliparous and pregnant women.

Also, to determine the nature of neoplasms and analyze cells in patients, a puncture is taken from the affected breast. According to its results, it is possible to 100% confirm or deny the benign or malignant formation. If suspected, a hormonal test is prescribed to check the content of progesterones, estrogens and prolactins.

Before all instrumental and laboratory studies, a typical examination of the patient is carried out, anamnesis and current complaints are collected. The doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis and then sends it to the hardware breast diagnostics for confirmation.

Treatment

Treatment of diffuse mastopathy with a predominance of the fibrous component is mandatory on an outpatient basis. The formations themselves and the irregular structure of the breast do not dissolve. If we neglect timely therapy, then mastopathy will progress to complicated forms. Treatment of diffuse fibrous mastopathy of the mammary glands is directed to the reasons that led to its development.

Modern methods of treating fibrous mastopathy are selected individually, but taking into account the general provisions: the presence of hormonal, non-hormonal and physiotherapeutic treatment, as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition.

Non-hormonal methods

Diffuse mastopathy can manifest itself against the background of chronic inflammatory diseases of the reproductive system, liver, nervous or endocrine systems. Medicines and other drugs are prescribed in accordance with the reasons that caused the disease.

If the patient complains at the first stage of diffuse mastopathy, then the use of physiotherapeutic methods is considered successful: the use of medicinal electrophoresis with potassium iodide, novocaine. At this stage, patients are advised to think about the birth of a child and breastfeeding and the establishment of a sex life. Such advice is given with extensive work experience and on an individual basis.

At the next stages, in the absence of the effect of physiotherapy, drug therapy is prescribed. Treatment with vitamins has proven itself in the normalization of the liver, which is involved in the direct inactivation of estrogens. For the treatment of mastopathy, complexes of vitamins A, E, B, C are used. They are used for two months in injections or tablets.

To normalize the function of the ovaries, which are also involved in the development of mastopathy, microdoses of potassium iodide are prescribed for oral administration. The course is long and lasts about a year. For women with fibrotic forms of mastopathy, potassium iodide helped in 37% of cases.

Mastodion has become a very popular homeopathic remedy in the treatment of diffuse forms of mastopathy. It contains many herbs. With prolonged use, it relieves pain in the chest, suppresses the secretion of prolactin, balances estrogen and progesterones, and restores the menstrual cycle.

In the responses of women undergoing Mastodion therapy, there is a positive effect on the emotional background and the disappearance of chest discomfort. Treatment with the drug of the fibrous form of mastopathy was shown to be effective in 41% of cases.

With strong fibro-morphological changes in the breast, novocaine-oxygen therapy gives good results. Oxygen entering the glandular tissue moves in the tissues and performs a specific massage, and novocaine has a positive effect on blood circulation and vascular walls of capillaries in the chest.

Hormonal treatment

Treatment with hormone drugs is the inevitable fate of women with fibrous mastopathy. Therapy is prescribed individually, depending on the age of the patient and the nature of endocrine disorders. The essence of the work is to correct the work of the "pituitary-thyroid-ovarian" system.

What funds are used:

1. Progesterones. It is used in the form of tablets "Utrozhestan", "Dyufaston" and others. And also in the form of a local gel "Progestogel". Recommended for use in the second phase of the cycle for mastopathy.
2. Prolactin inhibitors. With excessive release of prolactin into the blood, "Parlodel" is used.
3. Up to 35 years of age, in violation of ovulation, patients with fibrous mastopathy are prescribed estrogen preparations - oral contraceptives.
4. Androgenic agents are used in elderly women from 45 years. Drugs such as Tamoxifen, Fareston.

The peculiarity of such drugs is that they are prescribed only after passing the appropriate tests and their assessment by a doctor. The therapeutic effect appears after a couple of weeks.

Folk remedies

It is necessary to treat diffuse fibrous mastopathy in a comprehensive manner, therefore, doctors can recommend traditional medicine to relieve the acute manifestation of symptoms: breast swelling, pain, insomnia and anxiety.

Popular treatments are herbal teas and compresses during a night's sleep. For decoctions, combinations of wormwood, lemon balm, mint, motherwort, red brush, burdock stems, dill seeds, chamomile flowers are used.

For compresses, punctured cabbage leaves, crushed burdock stalks, beets and cabbage with burdock oil, pumpkin gruel are used.

The effect of alternative therapy for diffuse fibrous mastopathy occurs after a month or two weeks. These recipes do not cure the problem, but ease the course of mastopathy.

Diet

The effectiveness of dieting for breast diseases, in particular for fibrous mastopathy, has been scientifically confirmed. It will have to be observed during the entire course of treatment (about a year) and after it for some time to consolidate the result.

A healthy diet for mastopathy is expressed in:

• reducing the amount of saturated fat in the daily diet
• exclusion from the diet of foods that contain any preservatives
• enriching the diet with fruits and vegetables rich in coarse fiber.

The use of carotenoids and bioflavonoids contained in carrots and citrus fruits has a positive effect on health in mastopathy.

With proper, timely and comprehensive treatment, mastopathy is treated successfully and without consequences. Moreover, the percentage of relapses is very small. But this result is achieved thanks to prevention during the recovery period.

Doctors recommend not to neglect self-examination after suffering mastopathy, photos and videos of which can be found on the Internet. It is held every month. If suspicious changes are found, it is recommended to consult a doctor, who will further refer the woman to the research needed.

A good motivation for the prevention of mastopathy is statistics, which says that with any type of mastopathy, the risk of breast cancer increases 3-5 times. Prevention also includes proper nutrition, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding psycho-emotional overload.