What causes mastitis?

Infection: Mastitis usually occurs when bacteria enter the breast through a break in the skin of the nipple or through the opening to the milk ducts in the nipple. Once inside the tissue, the bacteria multiply and cause an infection.

Mastitis often occurs during breastfeeding. This is partly because it is easy for bacteria from the baby's mouth and mother's skin to enter the breast through the nipple. An infection may also occur if a woman's breast becomes too full of milk. This may happen if a mother misses a feeding or has not completely emptied the breast. When the breast is overfull, milk may leak into the breast tissue. As a result, the surrounding breast tissue is vulnerable to infection.

Bacteria may also enter the breast tissue through cracks, open sores, or cuts in the nipples of women who are not breastfeeding, or men. In addition, mastitis may occur in people who have pierced nipples. This is because the holes in the skin allow bacteria to enter the nipples and cause infections.

Postmenopausal women may develop chronic mastitis as a result of their bodies' hormonal changes. The hormonal changes may cause the ducts below the nipple to become blocked with debris and dead skin cells. This causes swelling and makes the person vulnerable to bacterial infections.

Inflammatory breast cancer: Although uncommon, mastitis may also be caused by a rare form of cancer called inflammatory breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer occurs when cancer cells multiply inside the lymphatic vessels above the breast. These cells eventually clog the vessels, causing the breast to become red, swollen, and dimpled.

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Mastitis is a breast infection involving the breast tissue. Symptoms include severe pain, breast mass, swelling and enlargement, fever, redness, and possible nipple discharge. The causes include bacterial infection through a crack in the skin from Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria may enter through the nipple or the surrounding skin breakage. The infection may spread deep into the tissue causing severe pain, swelling, and a fever. It is most common in pregnant women that are breast feeding. The diagnosis of breast cancer MUST be excluded.