What can the appearance of discharge from the nipples indicate?

Complaints about the appearance of any discharge from the nipples should alert any doctor. Like any gland of the human body, the mammary gland also produces its own secret, and in most cases, the appearance of discharge from the nipples indicates a benign disease. But given the high prevalence with a tendency to an annual increase in breast cancer, the doctor should be aware of the causes of such complaints, and conduct a qualitative diagnosis of such a condition. What can the appearance of discharge from the nipples mean?

Causes of nipple discharge

Among the causes of discharge from the nipples, there are those that are not associated with any disease. Taking certain drugs, such as oral contraceptives, amphetamines, or opiates, can cause overproduction of breast secretions. The presence in the patient's history of thoracotomy and the scar left after it, spinal cord injury, or even the Herpeszoster virus in the body, which does not give a characteristic shingles clinic, is also quite capable of provoking such a condition. To avoid unpleasant situations, the doctor should reassure the patient with such complaints, and conduct a thorough history taking and examination of the patient before drawing conclusions about the nature of the discharge from the nipples.

What are nipple discharges

Seven different types of nipple discharge are described in total:

1. Dairy
2. Viscous multicolored
3. Annoying
4. Clean or watery
5. Yellow or serous
6. Pink or serosanguineous
7. Red or bloody.

Let's take a closer look at the most common types.

Milky discharge from nipples

Milky discharge from the nipples is called galactorrhea. Usually the secret is released from both mammary glands, spontaneously and from different ducts. Galactorrhea, as a physiological reaction, can occur in pregnant women and is not, in this case, a cause for concern. Hypothyroidism, pituitary adenoma, or some anovulatory syndromes such as Chiari-Frommel syndrome can cause galactorrhea. In this case, excluding the presence of pathology in the gland itself, it is worth looking for it in other anatomical areas. If hypothyroidism is suspected, it is necessary to determine the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone in the patient's blood. The amount of the hormone prolactin is also determined. If, according to the results of the tests, the level of prolactin is more than 100 ng / ml, it is necessary to exclude the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma. For this, computed tomography of the brain is performed.

Irritating nipple discharge

In most cases, this type of discharge is provoked by the presence of an infection in the body. Often this symptom accompanies postpartum acute mastitis or chronic lactational mastitis. Patients may complain of itching, discomfort, pain in the mammary glands, which increase significantly during palpation of the breast. All these sensations bring great discomfort to the patient, it is difficult for her to choose suitable underwear that does not provoke pain, discomfort prevents her from sleeping well at night. Treatment, in this case, is carried out through antibiotic therapy, the drugs of choice are penicillins, since the most common causative agent of mastitis is staphylococcus aureus. In case of poor breast hygiene, suppuration may occur. Such situations should be resolved surgically - the abscess is opened and drained.

Viscous multicolored discharge

Most often, such a situation occurs among women who have given birth repeatedly, that is, at the age of 40-50 years, with a history of surgical interventions on the nipples. Such changes are caused in the main percentage of cases by ductal ectasia of the mammary gland, although conditions such as fibrocystic changes in the mammary gland, intraductal papilloma or even pituitary adenoma can cause a viscous multi-colored secret from the nipples. Treatment involves, first of all, the search and elimination of the root cause of such a condition. Surgery is often required only if a pituitary adenoma is diagnosed.

Discharge from nipples of a different color

If there are complaints of watery, clear, yellow, pink or bloody discharge, a cytological examination of the breast secretion is necessary.

But such alertness should not frighten the patient, because even in the presence of bleeding, breast cancer is diagnosed only in 1/3 of women with such complaints! Galactography and biopsy are performed in such cases to assess the condition of the intrathoracic ducts and exclude the diagnosis of breast carcinoma.

It must be remembered that self-medication can have the worst effect on the patient's condition. Therefore, gynecologists must conduct a mandatory examination of the mammary glands for all women who come to see them, even if they do not have any complaints!