Mastitis, when associated with lactation is known as lactational mastitis or puerperal mastitis (1). It can be:
There is cellulitis of the interlobular connective tissue within the breast (2).
Breast feeding may cause abrasion of the skin around the breast and, on occasion, cracking of the nipple. This permits the entry of infective organisms, most commonly Staphylococcus aureus but also Staphylococcus epidermidis and streptococci. This may result in a circumareolar breast abscess, or deep infection of the lactiferous ducts.
Uncommonly, infections arise in the sebaceous glands (of Montgomery) of the areola, where they resemble skin boils.
Close to half of all cases of mastitis is seen during the first four weeks after starting breast feeding although it may occur at any stage during lactation or when the number of feeds (or milk expression) are reduced (3).
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