Features of the anatomical structure of the breast and a sharp increase in the functional activity of this organ in the postpartum period determine the clinic and the course of the inflammatory process in mastitis, which differ from an acute purulent surgical infection of another localization.

Inflammation in the gland due to its lobed structure, a large number of natural cavities (alveoli, sinuses and t. ), a wide network of dairy and lymphatic ducts, the abundance of fatty tissue is poorly delineated and tends to spread to neighboring areas of the breast. The course of lactational mastitis at the present stage is characterized by rapid dynamics of the inflammatory process, t. rapid transition of serous and infiltrative forms into purulent with simultaneous lesion of new areas of breast tissue.

Mastitis can develop at various times of the postpartum period. In the patients we observed, the first signs of the disease appeared in 3.7% of cases during the 1st week after birth, 53.9% in the 2-3rd week, 20.4% in the 4th, 5th, and in 22.0% of women, mastitis arose between 1.

5 and 10 months after the birth of the child.

The disease begins acutely, with the appearance of pain and a feeling of heaviness in the mammary gland, chills and fever to 38 "C and above. Women complain of weakness, headache. The mammary gland increases in volume, there is an insignificant hyperemia of a skin in a zone of an inflammation. Expressing the mammary gland and palpation of the area of ??skin hyperemia are painful. The amount of expressed milk decreases.

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