Armpit abscesses
Painful nodules form under the skin in the armpits, they are called in medicine purulent hydradenitis, and in the people a bitch udder. They are single or multiple, break through on their own, as a rule, within a week, but in acute cases, their elimination takes quite a long time. A purulent formation has a sharp top with a white head, indicating that there is a purulent substance inside the abscess.
Human sweat glands are tubular glands, which are divided into merocrine - secreting sweat without destroying the cytoplasm of secretory cells and apocrine - when there is a partial destruction of the cytoplasm of secretory cells. The apocrine glands are located in the armpits, their secret contains many protein substances and is distinguished by a sharp, specific odor.
The sweat of the apocrine glands contains 98% of water, the remaining 2% are organic and inorganic substances. In the process of sweating, the body excretes uric acid, ammonia, urea, some salts and other products of protein metabolism. An abscess or branching udder under the arm is the result of disturbances in the functioning of the immune system of the human body, in fact, it is an inflammation of the sweat glands in the armpits, causing a purulent process.
Among the main reasons, there is a bacterial infection such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, as well as changes in the functions of the endocrine system. An abscess under the armpit has no gender or age limits. It occurs in adult men and women and in children, but much less frequently. Among the possible causes of the appearance of hydradenitis are hypothermia of the body, post-infectious periods. Often udder sticks are the result of careless mechanical damage to the skin when shaving or rubbing the skin on clothing.
At the beginning of the abscess formation process, first in the subcutaneous tissue of the armpit, a small seal appears, similar to an enlarged lymph node, painful to the touch. Development is usually fast. The swelling increases, the tissues swell, the pointed tip of the abscess hangs down like the nipples of a dog feeding puppies. An abscess can form a deep cavity.
The manifestations of the disease are so typical that a specialist does not need additional laboratory tests to establish a diagnosis. Symptoms of a dangerous infection include fever, chills, increasing armpit pain, and increased swelling and inflammation.
How to get rid of an abscess under the arm?
Traditionally, this pathology is treated with standard methods. Injection of the infiltrate with an antibiotic solution is prescribed, sulfonamides, nitrofurans, and autohemotherapy help. UHF therapy gives positive results at the very beginning of the development of an abscess. This measure involves exposing the affected area to a continuous or pulsed ultra-high frequency current. If the doctor considers these measures to be ineffective due to the neglect of the disease, then a surgical opening of the abscess is performed.
Usually, treatment is successful, excluding the appearance of new foci of inflammation, but in many, after treatment, the disease can recur more than once, dragging on for years. For patients with chronic generalized infection, recurrent hydradenitis, these measures are ineffective. Therefore, specific immunization against Staphylococcus aureus is used - this is a radical treatment that completely eliminates hydradenitis.
As for the operation to remove the udder limb, it does not give a full guarantee that this disease will be eliminated. Surgical treatment of hydradenitis is the last measure prescribed in the acute stage of suppuration, when there is a danger of blood poisoning. The procedure is carried out under local anesthesia, an autopsy and excision of the affected tissues and fistulous passages are performed. At the time of opening of the hydradenitis and in the subsequent postoperative period, it is required to treat a fresh wound and dressings, to introduce a tampon with medications into a fresh wound.
For wound healing, ordinary medical alcohol is used, the skin is treated with 2% boric or 10% camphor alcohol and other substances that have a disinfectant effect. To prevent the spread of infection to healthy tissues, exposure of the skin to ultraviolet rays is recommended.
In order to prevent the disease or its exacerbation, it is necessary to exclude alcoholic beverages, spicy and salty foods from the diet, and limit the use of sweets.
It is useful to include in food foods that are high in vitamins A C, E and iron. There are many such useful substances in carrots, cabbage, apples, berries, and rose hips. The main conditions for the prevention of hydradenitis are also in cleanliness, there are many ways to get rid of excessive sweating using special means.
