BREAST INFECTION

Treatment

There are two guiding principles in treating breast infection:

§         Appropriate antibiotics should be given early to reduce formation of abscesses.

§         Hospital referral is indicated if the infection does not settle rapidly with antibiotics.

Neonatal infection

Neonatal breast infection is most common in the first few weeks of life when the breast bud is enlarged.

Lactating infection

 

Tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and chloramphenicol should not be used to treat lactating breast infection as they may enter breast milk and can harm the baby. Nurse or pump the affected breast at least every 2 hours as long as the symptoms persist. With breast infections, breastfeeding can and should continue!   

Non-lactating infection Non-lactating infections can be separated into those occurring centrally in the periareolar region and those affecting the peripheral breast tissue.

Periareolar infection

Histologically, there is active inflammation around non-dilated subareolar breast ducts - a condition termed periductal mastitis. Up to a third of patients develop a mammary duct fistula (communication between the skin usually in the periareolar region and a major subareolar breast duct) after drainage of a non-lactating periareolar abscess.

Peripheral non-lactating breast abscesses

Peripheral breast abscesses should be treated by recurrent aspiration or incision and drainage.

Skin associated infection

Primary  breast infection, which can present as cellulitis or an abscess, most commonly affects the skin of the lower half of the breast.

 

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