INCIDENCE OF MASTITIS IN BREAST-FEEDING WOMEN DURING THE 6 MONTHS AFTER DELIVERY - A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of mastitis in breastfeeding wom en during the first six months after delivery, and to identify the hea lthcare services used and treatments received by women with mastitis. Design: A prospective cohort study with questionnaire and telephone fo llow-up.Setting: A teaching hospital and the only private hospital off ering obstetrics at the time of the study in the Lower Hunter Region, New South Wales. Participants: 1075 women in postnatal wards following delivery of a single infant who were breastfeeding at the time of rec ruitment. Results: 233 women returned a questionnaire indicating they believed that they had developed mastitis during follow-up. Of these, 219 had mastitis by the study criteria, giving an estimated crude inci dence of 20% (95% CI, 18%-22%) in the six months after delivery. Most cases of mastitis (75%) occurred within seven weeks after delivery. Mu ltiple episodes of mastitis were reported by 63 women: 27 reported thr ee or more episodes during six months. 160 women (73%) reported consul ting a general practitioner about their mastitis. Despite National Hea lth and Medical Research Council guidelines that antibiotics be contin ued for 10 days, 148 (87%) of the 170 women who were prescribed antibi otics for the first episode of mastitis took them for less than 10 day s. Conclusions: A large proportion (20%) of women who were breastfeedi ng developed mastitis in the six months after delivery. As general pra ctitioners are commonly consulted about mastitis, it is important that they know how to diagnose and treat this condition.