Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun 6:14:195.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-195.

Case-control study of risk factors for infectious mastitis in Spanish breastfeeding women

Pilar Mediano, Leónides Fernández, Juan M Rodríguez, María Marín  1
Affiliations

Case-control study of risk factors for infectious mastitis in Spanish breastfeeding women

Pilar Mediano et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify potential predisposing factors associated with human infectious mastitis.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study among breastfeeding women, with 368 cases (women with mastitis) and 148 controls. Data were collected by a questionnaire designed to obtain retrospective information about several factors related to medical history of mother and infant, different aspects of pregnancy, delivery and postpartum, and breastfeeding practices that could be involved in mastitis. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression model were used to examine the relationship between mastitis and these factors.

Results: The variables significantly- and independently-associated with mastitis were cracked nipples (P < 0.0001), oral antibiotics during breastfeeding (P < 0.0001), breast pumps (P < 0.0001), topical antifungal medication during breastfeeding (P = 0.0009), mastitis in previous lactations (P = 0.0014), breast milk coming in later than 24 h postpartum (P = 0.0016), history of mastitis in the family (P = 0.0028), mother-infant separation longer than 24 h (P = 0.0027), cream on nipples (P = 0.0228) and throat infection (P = 0.0224).

Conclusions: Valuable factors related to an increased risk of infectious mastitis have been identified. This knowledge will allow practitioners to provide appropriate management advice about modifiable risk factors, such as the use of pumps or inappropriate medication. They also could identify before delivery those women at an increased risk of developing mastitis, such as those having a familial history of mastitis, and thus develop strategies to prevent this condition.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Foxman B, D’Arcy H, Gillespie B, Bobo JK, Schwartz K. Lactation mastitis: occurrence and medical management among 946 breastfeeding women in the United States. Am J Epidemiol. 2002;155:103–114. doi: 10.1093/aje/155.2.103. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Betzold CM. An update on the recognition and management of lactational breast inflammation. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2007;52:595–605. doi: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2007.08.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Scott JA, Robertson M, Fitzpatrick J, Knight C, Mulholland S. Occurrence of lactational mastitis and medical management: a prospective cohort study in Glasgow. Int Breastfeed J. 2008;3:21. doi: 10.1186/1746-4358-3-21. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Spencer JP. Management of mastitis in breastfeeding women. Am Fam Physician. 2008;78:727–731. - PubMed
    1. Kvist LJ. Re-examination of old truths: replication of a study to measure the incidence of lactational mastitis in breastfeeding women. Int Breastfeed J. 2013;8:2. doi: 10.1186/1746-4358-8-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms