In plain words
Inflammatory mastitis is swelling and irritation of breast tissue. The breast may be red, hot, hard, and painful, and you may feel flu-like or feverish. It often starts with a plugged or narrowed milk duct, when milk does not drain well. is best seen as a spectrum. At one end is a , which hurts but usually does not cause fever. At the other end are infection, pus collections, and abscess. Inflammatory mastitis sits between them, and it may or may not involve bacteria. Mothers often call all of it mastitis. The condition is common in the early months of breastfeeding. Tell your provider the same day about a fever, red streaks, or breast pain that is getting worse. Clinicians usually keep the breast draining during care, and many people keep breastfeeding.
The deeper version
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine's clinical protocol on mastitis (2022 revision) describes lactational breast inflammation as a spectrum, running from ductal narrowing through inflammatory mastitis, , , and abscess, with and as related states. Inflammatory mastitis combines local inflammatory signs with systemic symptoms, driven by milk stasis and cytokine activity, and it may occur without a cultured pathogen. Bacterial mastitis, most often from , is associated with purulent or more resistant presentations. Diagnosis is largely clinical, and ultrasound is used when abscess is suspected. Evidence for antibiotic duration and specific management differs across studies, and whether every case of inflammatory mastitis needs antibiotics is contested.
Where it comes up
- Clogged ducts and mastitisPostpartum: Your Body
- Keeping ducts clear: prevention habitsFeeding Your Baby
- Nipple pain, cracks, and healingPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about inflammatory mastitis
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Sources
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine — Clinical Protocol #36: Mastitis, 2022 revision
- Lawrence RA, Lawrence RM — Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, 8th edition. Elsevier, 2016