Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast. There are three principal causes:
- Infection, which accounts for about half of cases and is almost always
bacterial.
- Blocked ducts that force the milk to drain into nearby breast tissue, causing the
tissue to become inflamed.
- Engorgement.
Mastitis most commonly affects women who are breast-feeding but sometimes occurs
in women that are not in that condition.
Symptoms are flu-like.
The lump felt in one breast is usually caused by milk getting into the breast
tissue instead of the milk ducts.
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