Tuberculosis in Lactational Abscess - Study at a Tertiary Care Center

Background: Tuberculosis of the breast is a very rare occurrence accounting for approximately 4% of all breast lesions in countries where tuberculosis is rampant 1 . Tuberculosis of breast is a disease seen in young lactating multiparous women. Tuberculosis of breast has varied presentation ranging from an abscess or a painless breast mass. India is a country which is endemic for tuberculosis; hence early diagnosis of tuberculosis is needed so that effective anti-tuberculous therapy can be started and the disease can be eradicated. Aims: In view of the above said we considered to study the varied presentations of lactational abscess and to highlight the importance of tuberculosis as a cause of breast abscess in lactating mothers. Methods and Material: This is a prospective study done between over a period of 1 year from between January 2014 to December 2014 chosen by purposive sampling technique. The patients who met the inclusion and exclion criteria were subjected to a thorough anesthetic workup and then the drainage was done using 22 gauge needle, the pus was sent for culture and abscess wall contents and the cavity tissue for histopathological examination. The collected data was analyzed. Statistical Analysis: Percent and frequency were used for statistical analysis. Results: Out of the 60 patients the commonest age group was between 21-30 years (32%) and symptom was mastalgia (100%). Both patients (100%) responded well to 6 months of anti-tuberculosis treatment with disappearance of axillary lymph nodes. Conclusion: Lactational abscess can be one of the presentations of tuberculosis of breast. In an endemic area careful evaluation of the lactational abscess has to be done so that early diagnosis of can be done and effective anti-tuberculous therapy can be given.