mastitis (măstĪˈtĭs) [key], inflammation of the breast. Mastitis
most commonly occurs in nursing mothers between the first and
third weeks after childbirth, usually of the first child. It is
an infection that results when bacteria enter through cracked
nipples; the organisms may already be in the body and attack
breast tissue weakened by injury. The breast becomes swollen and
painful and a high fever may be present. Mastitis is usually
easily treated with antibiotics. In severe cases, when an
abscess forms within the breast, the suckling baby must be
weaned completely. Chronic cystic mastitis is a common,
noninfectious but often painful condition in women between 30
and 50 years old, in which cystic nodules develop in the
breasts, giving them a lumpy appearance. It sometimes results
from a hormonal imbalance. Biopsy may be necessary to
distinguish the condition from breast cancer. Another type of
mastitis may occur during puberty, and another is associated
with other infectious diseases, e.g., mumps and tuber