Some studies claim as little as three percent of nursing mothers get the condition while others claim 33 percent may become affected. What is clear is that the condition can appear anywhere from three months to two years after childbirth, and in rare cases, it may affect women who are not currently lactating.

The painful condition usually leads to the cessation of breastfeeding, but women can continue to safely breastfeed during mastitis.

SYMPTOMS

Mastitis usually develops rapidly in most patients, and typically only in one breast. Symptoms include sore nipples; an area of the breast turning red; the affected area becoming sore to the touch; the area becoming hot when touched; and the afflicted having a burning sensation that may be present only when breastfeeding, or may be there all the time. There may also be anxiety, stress, chills, a high body temperature, general aches and pains, extreme fatigue, shivering, and sometimes a general feeling of malaise.

When mastitis develops because of milk stasis, it may be caused by the infant not being able to properly latch on to the breast for feeding, or because the infant has difficulties sucking the milk. This may be the result of a structural issue, such as a cleft palate. It could also be because the infant is not being frequently fed. The milk ducts could be blocked because of compression caused by prior wearing of tight clothing.  

The breast tissue becomes inflamed by cytokines, which are special proteins in milk that the immune system uses and then passes on to the infant. With mastitis, the mother’s immune system attacks the cytokines thinking that they represent an infection, causing the area to become inflamed.