A possible complication arises through the fact that cancerous tumors may be more difficult to detect in women with fibrocystic changes. Breast cancer risk
Breast cancer risk is elevated in a defined fraction of the lesions. Except for people with a strong family history of breast cancer, where the risk is two-fold, nonproliferative lesions have no increased risk. Proliferative lesions also have approximately a two-fold risk. In particular, atypical hyperplasia which is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Theres two types of atypical hyperplasia: lobular and ductal; the lobular type is associated a greater cancer risk of approximately 5-fold and especially high relative risk in premenopausal women. Atypical ductal hyperplasia is associated with 2.4-fold risk. In contrast, a New England Journal of Medicine article  states that for women with a strong familial history of breast cancer, the risk of future breast cancer is roughly doubled, independent of histological status. The article further states "The relative risk of breast cancer for the cohort was 1.56 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.45 to 1.68), and this increased risk persisted for at least 25 years after biopsy. The relative risk associated with atypia was 4.24 (95 percent confidence interval, 3.26 to 5.41), as compared with a relative risk of 1.88 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.66 to 2.12) for proliferative changes without atypia and of 1.27 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.15 to 1.41) for nonproliferative lesions.
An acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB), is a sudden worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms including shortness of breath, quantity and color of phlegm that typically lasts for several days. It may be triggered by an infection with bacteria or viruses or by environmental pollutants. Typically, infections cause 75% or more of the exacerbations; bacteria can roughly be found in 25% of cases, viruses in another 25%, and both viruses and bacteria in another 25%. Airway inflammation is increased during the exacerbation resulting in increased hyperinflation, reduced expiratory air flow and decreased gas exchange.Exacerbations can be classified as mild, moderate, and severe. As COPD progresses, exacerbations tend to become more frequent, the average being about three episodes per year. Signs and symptoms
An acute exacerbation of COPD is associated with increased frequency and severity of coughing. It is often accompanied by worsened chest congestion and discomfort. Shortness of breath and wheezing are present in many cases. Exacerbations may be accompanied by increased amount of cough and sputum productions, and a change in appearance of sputum. An abrupt worsening in COPD symptoms may cause rupture of the airways in the lungs, which in turn may cause a spontaneous pneumothorax.In infection, there is often weakness, fever and chills. If due to a bacterial infection, the sputum may be slightly streaked with blood and coloured yellow or green.