Mastitis and breastfeeding

Abstract

Various degrees of mastitis affect a significant percentage of breastfeeding mothers. Prevention and effective treatment are important public health issues due to the severe pain, malaise, high fever, and possible complications. Among other causes for early termination of breastfeeding, the most prominent reasons are the pain, prolonged healing, abscess due to mastitis and the frequent recurrence of the disease. Proper management of mastitis and alleviating the symptoms influence the length of breastfeeding and hence leads to a positive outcome for both the mother’s and her child’s long term health. Nevertheless, there are inconsistencies worldwide regarding the diagnosis, cure and prevention of mastitis. The treatments are done mostly on empirical basis. Even though numerous articles have been published on the subject, the unequivocal results are yet to come. This overview summarizes the current knowledge and the dilemmas about mastitis as well as the prevention opportunities and therapies. It also discusses the new results on breastmilk microbiome research, which might change the approach towards mastitis treatment.