Histologically, periductal mastitis is characterised by active inflammation around non-dilated subareolar breast ducts. This distinguishes it from mammary duct ectasia which is a condition of older women where duct dilatation is more pronounced.
90% of women with periductal mastitis smoke, and it has been suggested that smoking in some way results in damage to the subareolar ducts which then become infected. Infective organisms may be aerobic or anaerobic and include Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococci, Anaerobic streptococci and Bacteroides species.
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