New recommendations on mastitis spectrum from Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has released new recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of the mastitis spectrum. These recommendations are published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine. Click here to read the article now.

Mastitis is a common maternal complication of lactation and contributes to early cessation of breastfeeding. Mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary gland, is not a single condition, but rather a spectrum of conditions that result from ductal inflammation and stromal edema.

Katrina Mitchell, MD, from Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, Sansum Clinic, Santa Barbara, CA, and coauthors, on behalf of the ABM, discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of each condition in the mastitis spectrum in ABM Clinical Protocol #36.

Recommendations for spectrum-wide conditions include reassuring mothers that many mastitis symptoms will resolve with conservative care and psychosocial support; continuing to feed the infant on demand; minimizing breast pump usage; and avoiding the use of nipple shields.

The authors also review medical interventions to decrease inflammation and pain and treat hyperlactation or breast milk oversupply. Interventions include the use of antibiotics to treat bacterial mastitis, therapeutic ultrasound, and the use of probiotics.

“This comprehensive and detailed Protocol will serve as a practical guide for clinicians who will be managing one of the most common clinical problems in nursing mothers,” says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine.

About the Journal
Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.

About the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) is a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Our mission is to unite members of the various medical specialties with this common purpose.  For more than 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence. By building on our legacy of research into this field and sharing it with the broader medical community, we can overcome barriers, influence health policies, and change behaviors.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publisher’s website.