Women Need to Know Nipple Discharge
DEFINITIONS
Nipple discharge is a discharge from the nipple.
Approximately 20% of women who resembled a discharge of clear liquid milk or spontaneously.
When doing breast self-examination (Breast Self-Examination), will be out fluid from the breast in 50-60% of white women and black women, and 40% Asian-American women.
CAUSE
* It could be: Breast abscess (most common in lactating women)
* Injury to the breast
* The drugs (eg cimetidine, metildopa, metoclopramide, oral contraceptives, fenotiazin, reserpin, tricyclic antidepressants, or verapamil)
* Prolaktioma (tumors in the brain that produces prolactin). Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, which triggers the growth of mammary glands and milk formation.
* Intraduktal papilloma (benign tumor that grows on the lining of the breast)
* Mammary duct (widening and hardening of the breasts due to aging lines and damage).
Nipple discharge is not due to malignancy, almost half are caused by the papilloma and the remainder are caused by changes fibrokista or duct ectasia.
Nipple discharge is a malignancy is only about 10% and almost always unilateral.
SYMPTOMS
Liquids such as milk (cloudy, whitish, thin and not sticky) is the kind of liquid most commonly found and most are caused by lactation (milk formation) or excitation mechanism due to touch your nipples, sucking or irritation of clothing during exercise or other activities.
If the fluid contains blood or watery (serous) the cause is papilloma or infection.
Usually clear liquids, like milk, yellow or green, and out of both nipples, not a sign of breast cancer.
Fluids that contain blood or diluted, especially if only one out of the nipples, is an abnormal fluid, but only about 10% of abnormal fluid malignancy.
Liquid from the nipple need special attention if: Color red or red with a thin, pink or brown
Sticky and translucent color or brown to black (glossy)
Exit spontaneously without the need to massage the nipple
Its settled
Only one out of the nipple (unilateral)
Fluid other than breast milk.
Diagnosis
* Diagnostic tests for nipple discharge include: breast biopsy (if lump is found)
* Cytology fluid
* CT scan of the head (to look for pituitary tumor)
* Mammography
* Levels of serum prolactin
* Transillumination
* Ultrasound breast
* Galaktogram or duktogram (to help find papilloma intraduktal).
TREATMENT
Standard treatment for nipple discharge is not influenced by hormones is cutting the channel.
Cutting a channel is usually done with local anesthesia and the procedure is performed through a small incision in the areola (brown area surrounding the nipple).