How to treat granulomatous mastitis

  Granulomatous lobular mastitis is a benign granulomatous disorder confined to the lobules of the breast, which is more likely to develop in menstruating mothers at an early age, mostly 1.5-2 years after delivery.  The specific etiology is unclear and is mostly thought to be an autoimmune disease or a hypersensitivity reaction to one’s own breast milk.  1, autoimmune disease: local immune phenomenon and local hypersensitivity reaction caused by breast milk. Non-bacterial infection, associated with the application of oral contraceptives. It may also be related to infection, trauma, chemical irritation causing inflammation, destruction of the ductal epithelium, entry of luminal contents into the lobular mesenchyme, causing granulomatous reaction and further destruction of lobular structures. It may be due to the milk in the ducts: secretions and keratinized epithelium escaping into the lobular mesenchyme, causing local inflammatory reaction and hypersensitivity reaction, leading to the formation of granuloma. 3. Microabscesses: epithelial-like macrophages and foreign body granuloma formation are seen in the lesions, and it is believed that the disease occurs due to local infection, trauma and inflammation caused by chemical substances, due to inflammatory injury leading to destruction of the ductal epithelium and entry of ductal contents into the interlobular stroma, causing granulomatous inflammation. Clinical manifestations: breast lumps, painful, hard, irregular in shape and poorly defined from normal tissues, also ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes may be enlarged. The onset of the disease is sudden or the lump suddenly increases in size, and a few days later the skin becomes red and forms a small abscess, which breaks down with little pus and does not heal for a long time, and the redness and swelling breaks down one after another and does not heal. Granulomatous lobular mastitis is easily confused with breast cancer and breast tuberculosis. In addition to the above clinical manifestations, hollow needle aspiration biopsy is essential to obtain a pathological diagnosis.  Treatment of granulomatous mastitis 1. Once granulomatous lobular mastitis is diagnosed, surgical treatment is preferred. Surgery should not only remove the lesion completely to prevent recurrence, but also preserve the maximum amount of normal tissue, plastic surgery and reconstruction if necessary, and try to keep the breast as perfect as possible. Post-operative herbal treatment for at least six months to change the hypersensitive state of the body, purge residual lesions and reduce recurrence.  2.If inflammation is obvious combined with multiple ulcers and sinus tract formation, local drug exchange + Chinese medicine treatment can still be considered, and surgical treatment when the lesions are relatively limited to reduce the scope of damage to the breast.  3.Hormone and immunosuppressant treatment.