Abstract

An 11-year retrospective review of women with breast abscesses presenting to a district general hospital was performed. A total of 122 women were identified with a breast abscess: 85 (70 per cent) with non-lactational abscesses and 37 (30 per cent) with an abscess in the puerperium. Six of 37 lactational and 24 of 85 non-lactational abscesses recurred. Sixteen mammillary fistulae developed, all following incision and drainage of non-lactational breast abscesses. Women with non-lactational breast abscesses were more likely to smoke cigarettes (P less than 0.005). Breast abscesses containing anaerobic bacteria were significantly more likely to occur in current cigarette smokers (P less than 0.05). Women with non-lactational breast abscesses who were heavy cigarette smokers were more likely to suffer recurrent abscesses (P less than 0.01). There was histological evidence of duct ectasia on biopsy in 25 women with non-lactational abscesses and 21 of 25 were current smokers. Mammillary fistulae developed more frequently in current smokers (P less than 0.03). Cigarette smoking is important in the natural history of non-lactational breast abscesses and may predispose to anaerobic breast infections and the development of mammillary fistulae.