A breast infection is an infection in the tissue of the breast. An abscess is a pus-filled hollow space that can appear on the skin or inside the body. Common causes of benign breast masses include fibrocystic disease, fibroadenoma, and abscess. Symptoms may include painful local swelling of the breast, a breast lump, and redness and tenderness of the breast. Your healthcare provider will suspect an abscess if the lump remains tender and does not go away with the treatment listed under plugged ducts and mastitis. Breast abscesses can affect women between the age of 18 and 50, but they are very uncommon in women who are not producing milk. Breast masses can involve any of the tissues that make up the breast, including overlying skin, ducts, lobules, and connective tissues. Fibrocystic disease, the most common breast mass in women, is found in 60-90% of breasts during routine autopsy. you are temporarily unable to breastfeed on the breast with an abscess, use an electric breast pump to empty the breast and nurse baby more frequently on the other breast. When the lactiferous duct lining undergoes epidermalization, keratin production can cause plugging of the duct and result in abscess formation. This helps explain the high recurrence rate (an estimated 39-50%) of breast abscesses in patients treated with standard incision and drainage (I&D;). It is normal for the breasts to feel tender during breastfeeding, but you should consult your GP straightaway if you have heat or pain in either breast.
Patients typically do not present in the ED with a breast mass as their chief complaint; however, knowledge of the pertinent anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical clues is essential. Engorgement, mastitis, or a plugged duct can sometimes lead to a breast abscess. The infection causes the immune system to activate white blood cells and chemicals to fight the bacteria. Most abscesses form just under the skin and are the result of a bacterial infection. The first is related to nursing (breastfeeding). In this case, redness, tenderness, and skin changes take place on the breast from the baby's feeding and sucking on the nipple. If untreated an abscess will form. If the abscess forms in spite of antibiotics, it may need to be incised and drained, a minor surgical procedure, in order to heal. The second type is unrelated to nursing. If you are temporarily unable to breastfeed on the breast with an abscess, use an electric breast pump to empty the breast and nurse baby more frequently on the other breast. It is normal for the breasts to feel tender during breastfeeding, but you should consult your GP straightaway if you have heat or pain in either breast.