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Breast hyperplasia
What are the symptoms of mammary gland hyperplasia?
Breast hyperplasia primarily manifests as cyclic swelling and pain in the breasts, often appearing or worsening before menstruation and diminishing or disappearing after menstruation. Mild cases may go unnoticed by patients, while severe cases can affect daily life and work. However, some patients do not exhibit obvious cyclic changes. Symptoms may include unilateral or bilateral breast tenderness or needle-like pain, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or chest and back areas. A few patients may experience nipple discharge, and the condition can sometimes persist for a long duration, but symptoms typically disappear or lessen after menopause. During physical examination, nodular lumps of varying sizes can be felt within one or both breasts. These lumps are firm but not hard, sometimes tender to touch, and the boundaries between the lump and surrounding breast tissue are not distinct. There is no adhesion to the skin or chest muscles, and sometimes the area may appear as an indistinctly bordered thickened zone.
Which is more serious, breast hyperplasia or breast nodules?
Breast hyperplasia is a specific disease caused by hormonal imbalances in the body, which stimulate the breast and lead to structural disorders. Breast nodules are not a specific disease; they could be breast hyperplasia or other diseases. Almost all breast diseases can be described as breast nodules, such as breast hyperplasia, breast inflammation, or breast tumors, which can be either benign or malignant. Therefore, breast nodules could be breast hyperplasia or other diseases, and the specific condition needs to be analyzed accordingly.
How to regulate second-degree mammary gland hyperplasia?
If the symptoms are mild and the lesion is not severe, treatment may not be necessary. Regular follow-up visits and ultrasound or mammography screenings are usually sufficient. If the symptoms are relatively significant, we can treat them with traditional Chinese medicine. Methods such as soothing the liver and regulating qi, and harmonizing the thoroughfare and conception vessels can help alleviate pain. Endocrine treatment is also an option, though preferably avoided unless the pre-menopausal pain is very severe, in which case it can be taken before the onset of menstruation. Vitamin therapy, including vitamins B, C, and E, can improve liver function, regulate sex hormone metabolism, and enhance autonomic nerve function, thus serving as an adjunctive treatment for this condition. Recently, it is believed that vitamin E also has pain-relieving properties.
What is the difference between breast hyperplasia nodules and breast hyperplasia?
Breast hyperplasia nodules and breast hyperplasia are not much different; breast hyperplasia nodules are a more severe condition than simple breast hyperplasia. Based on the typical symptoms of cyclic breast swelling and pain, which worsen before menstruation and lessen or disappear after menstruation, and upon physical examination, nodular lumps of various sizes can be felt within the breast, which are tough but not hard, sometimes tender to the touch. Supplementary examinations like ultrasound show uneven low-echo areas in the hyperplastic breast, and if cysts are present, they form anechoic areas. Breast mammography shows ground-glass or cotton-wool shadows, which can be diagnosed as breast hyperplasia. However, it is important to be wary of the potential coexistence of breast hyperplasia and breast cancer. On one hand, patients with significant hyperplasia should be closely monitored; on the other hand, patients with obvious hyperplastic lumps or unclear boundaries of thickened breast tissue should undergo fine-needle aspiration biopsy of suspicious lesions to prevent misdiagnosis.
What to do with breast hyperplasia and chest pain?
What can be done about breast hyperplasia and chest pain? Generally, we can use traditional Chinese medicine for treatment, using methods to soothe the liver and regulate qi to alleviate pain; endocrine therapy is also an option, to be used as little as possible, but it can be taken before menstruation starts when the pain is very significant in the pre-menopausal period, because endocrine therapy may increase the risk of endometrial cancer, thus regular pelvic ultrasound re-examinations are necessary. Vitamin therapy can also be used, as vitamins B, C, and E have functions to improve liver functions, regulate basal metabolic rate, and enhance autonomic nerve function, and can be used as supplementary medication for this condition. In recent years, vitamin E is also considered to have a pain-relieving effect, especially for those with a family history of breast cancer, and when the lesion is confined to a part of the breast. If there are still significant lumps after menstruation, it may be necessary to perform a puncture biopsy or necessary surgical treatment.
Is breast hyperplasia okay?
Breast hyperplasia generally is not problematic, typically presenting as cyclical breast pain and swelling that appears before menstruation and may disappear afterwards. Mild cases often go unnoticed by patients, but severe cases can impact daily life and work. Some patients do not show obvious cyclical changes; instead, they may experience unilateral breast pain, swelling, or stabbing pain, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or back. A few patients might experience nipple discharge, such as yellow, brown, serous, or bloody discharge.
How to feel for breast hyperplasia
Patients with mammary gland hyperplasia can feel foreign objects when touching, but the pain from pressing is not very obvious. Patients generally can feel multiple or single nodules with elasticity, and there is no noticeable pain when pressed. Some patients may also experience symptoms such as breast tenderness, which is usually more pronounced before menstruation and may relieve on its own after menstruation ends. Mammary gland hyperplasia is mostly a benign tumor. If the symptoms are not very noticeable, observation can be the first approach. However, if hyperplastic nodules appear, cytological puncture should be conducted, and surgery may be necessary to achieve a cure when needed.
How to deal with breast hyperplasia pain?
Breast hyperplasia pain is generally caused by hormonal imbalances in the body. Mild pain can be managed by adjusting one's psychology or alleviating stress, but severe cases require treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and regular follow-ups. First, psychologically, it is important to relieve the pressures of life and work, eliminate worries, maintain a cheerful mood and a balanced mindset, which can help alleviate symptoms. Second, traditional Chinese medicine can be used, employing herbs that soothe the liver, promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, soften hardness, and break down masses to relieve pain. Third, Western medicine treatments involve the use of hormones and iodine preparations, which can treat breast hyperplasia but often have significant side effects. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
What fruits to eat for mammary gland hyperplasia?
The development of mammary gland hyperplasia is closely related to the state of endocrine. If the hormone levels in the body are disordered, it can induce the occurrence of mammary gland hyperplasia. Fruits have little impact on mammary gland hyperplasia, and there are no effective fruits that can control and treat this condition. Of course, eating more fruits and vegetables regularly to supplement various vitamins and trace elements can help alleviate mammary gland hyperplasia. Strictly speaking, patients with mammary gland hyperplasia can eat all seasonal fruits, including watermelon, oranges, kiwis, bananas, pineapples, etc., because the main content or components of fruits are cellulose and fructose. Mammary gland hyperplasia is mainly caused by various factors leading to hormonal imbalance in the body, resulting in clinical syndromes. In terms of diet, it is generally necessary to avoid foods that are too greasy, spicy, and stimulating. The content of fruits, mainly cellulose, vitamins, and fructose, does not contain any spicy or stimulating ingredients, nor does it contain fats, so eating fruits will not aggravate mammary gland hyperplasia. All kinds of seasonal fruits are safe to eat and do not cause any aggravation or inducement of mammary gland hyperplasia. Therefore, almost all seasonal fruits, including watermelon, bananas, pineapples, kiwis, apples, and oranges can be eaten. In terms of diet, it is preferable to adhere to a light diet, avoid spicy and stimulating foods, eat less greasy and pickled foods, consume more fruits and vegetables, engage in appropriate exercise, avoid excessive obesity, and abstain from smoking and alcohol to reduce risk factors and control the occurrence of mammary gland hyperplasia.
Which department treats mammary gland hyperplasia?
Breast hyperplasia is organized differently in larger cities, with separate departments for breast internal medicine and breast surgery. Generally, simple breast hyperplasia should be treated in breast internal medicine. In medium-sized cities, breast internal medicine and breast surgery are combined into one department, so a normal breast department is sufficient. In smaller cities, due to the lack of a dedicated breast surgery department, it falls under general surgery or oncology. Therefore, one can visit oncology or general surgery. In even smaller towns, general surgery or gynecology can handle breast hyperplasia. Further down, in clinics, we still recommend visiting medium-sized or larger cities for treatment of breast hyperplasia.