Research

Occurrence of lactational mastitis and medical management: A prospective cohort study in Glasgow

Jane A Scott^1,2 , Michele Robertson³ , Julie Fitzpatrick⁴ , Christopher Knight⁵ and Sally Mulholland²

¹  Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

²  Human Nutrition Section, Division of Developmental Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK

³  Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Glasgow, UK

⁴  Moredun Research Institute, Penicuik, UK

⁵  Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

author email corresponding author email

International Breastfeeding Journal 2008, 3:21doi:10.1186/1746-4358-3-21

Published:	25 August 2008

Abstract

Background

Lactational mastitis is a painful, debilitating condition that if inappropriately managed, may lead women to discontinue breastfeeding prematurely. The aim of this paper is to report the incidence of mastitis in the first six months postpartum in a Scottish population, its impact on breastfeeding duration and to describe the type and appropriateness of the support and management received by affected women from health professionals.

Methods

A longitudinal study of 420 breastfeeding women was undertaken in Glasgow in 2004/05. Participants were recruited and completed a baseline questionnaire before discharge from hospital. Cases of mastitis were reported either directly to the researchers or were detected during regular follow-up telephone interviews at weeks 3, 8, 18 and 26. Women experiencing mastitis provided further information of their symptoms and the management and advice they received from health professionals.

Results

In total, 74 women (18%) experienced at least one episode of mastitis. More than one half of initial episodes (53%) occurred within the first four weeks postpartum. One in ten women (6/57) were inappropriately advised to either stop breastfeeding from the affected breast or to discontinue breastfeeding altogether.

Conclusion

Approximately one in six women is likely to experience one or more episodes of mastitis whilst breastfeeding. A small but clinically important proportion of women continue to receive inappropriate management advice from health professionals which, if followed, could lead them to unnecessarily deprive their infants prematurely of the known nutritional and immunological benefits of breast milk.