Course and treatment of milk stasis, noninfectious inflammation of the breast, and infectious mastitis in nursing women. Effect of intervention to improve breastfeeding technique on the frequency of exclusive breastfeeding and lactation-related problems. Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT): a randomized trial in the Republic of Belarus. Effects of a dietary and environmental prevention programme on the incidence of allergic symptoms in high atopic risk infants: three years' follow-up.
In nursing women with inflammatory symptoms of the breast, it has been possible on the basis of leukocyte counts of the milk and quantitative cultivation for bacteria to classify these cases into milk stasis (counts of less than 10(6) leukocytes and less than 10(3) bacteria per milliliter of milk), noninfectious inflammation (counts of greater than 10(6) leukocytes and less than 10(3) bacteria), and infectious mastitis (counts of greater than 10(6) leukocytes and greater than 10(3) bacteria). In the present study the duration and outcome of these cases were observed, and those without intervention were compared to those with treatment that consisted of systematic and intensive emptying of the breast, supplemented in some cases by antibiotic therapy as directed by susceptibility tests of the bacteria. The course of milk stasis was of short duration and the outcome was good independent of treatment. In cases of noninfectious inflammation the symptoms persisted for several days without treatment, and half of the patients developed infectious mastitis. Emptying of the breast resulted in a significant decrease in the duration of symptoms and a significantly improved outcome. Infectious mastitis without treatment was followed by a good result in only 15% of the cases, and 11% developed abscesses. Emptying of the breast increased the rate of a good outcome to 50% and significantly decreased the duration of symptoms. The addition of antibiotic therapy resulted in a good outcome in 96% of the cases and a further significant reduction of the persistence of symptoms. This randomized clinical trial compared frequencies of exclusive breastfeeding and lactation-related problems during the first 30 days among 74 mothers who received a 30-minute counseling session on breastfeeding technique in the maternity ward, and 137 controls. The frequency of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers who had received intervention was similar to controls by 7 days (79.7% vs 82.5%, respectively) and 30 days (60.8% vs 53.3%). There was no difference between groups in the frequency of sore nipples at 7 and 30 days, in breast engorgement and mastitis, and in the quality of breastfeeding technique at 30 days. Therefore, a single intervention at maternity was not sufficient to improve breastfeeding technique, increase exclusive breastfeeding rates, and reduce the incidence of breastfeeding problems during the first month. Current evidence that breastfeeding is beneficial for infant and child health is based exclusively on observational studies. Potential sources of bias in such studies have led to doubts about the magnitude of these health benefits in industrialized countries.
                To assess the effects of breastfeeding promotion on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity and gastrointestinal and respiratory infection and atopic eczema among infants.
                The Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT), a cluster-randomized trial conducted June 1996-December 1997 with a 1-year follow-up.
                Thirty-one maternity hospitals and polyclinics in the Republic of Belarus.
                A total of 17 046 mother-infant pairs consisting of full-term singleton infants weighing at least 2500 g and their healthy mothers who intended to breastfeed, 16491 (96.7%) of which completed the entire 12 months of follow-up.
                Sites were randomly assigned to receive an experimental intervention (n = 16) modeled on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative of the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund, which emphasizes health care worker assistance with initiating and maintaining breastfeeding and lactation and postnatal breastfeeding support, or a control intervention (n = 15) of continuing usual infant feeding practices and policies.
                Duration of any breastfeeding, prevalence of predominant and exclusive breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months of life and occurrence of 1 or more episodes of gastrointestinal tract infection, 2 or more episodes of respiratory tract infection, and atopic eczema during the first 12 months of life, compared between the intervention and control groups.
                Infants from the intervention sites were significantly more likely than control infants to be breastfed to any degree at 12 months (19.7% vs 11.4%; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.69), were more likely to be exclusively breastfed at 3 months (43.3% vs 6.4%; P<.001) and at 6 months (7.9% vs 0.6%; P =.01), and had a significant reduction in the risk of 1 or more gastrointestinal tract infections (9.1% vs 13.2%; adjusted OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.40-0.91) and of atopic eczema (3.3% vs 6.3%; adjusted OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.31-0.95), but no significant reduction in respiratory tract infection (intervention group, 39.2%; control group, 39.4%; adjusted OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.59-1.28).
                Our experimental intervention increased the duration and degree (exclusivity) of breastfeeding and decreased the risk of gastrointestinal tract infection and atopic eczema in the first year of life. These results provide a solid scientific underpinning for future interventions to promote breastfeeding. A prospective case-control study is presented to assess an allergy prevention programme in children up to 36 months of age. Infants born at three maternity hospitals were followed from birth: 279 infants with high atopic risk (intervention group) were compared with 80 infants with similar atopic risk but no intervention (non-intervention group). The intervention programme included dietary measures (exclusive and prolonged milk feeding diet followed by a hypoantigenic weaning diet) and environmental measures (avoidance of parental smoking in the presence of the babies, day care > 2 years of life). Mothers in this group who had insufficient breast milk were randomly assigned to one of two coded formulas: either a hydrolysed milk formula (Nidina HA, Nestlé) or a conventional adapted formula (Nan, Nestlé). Other environmental measures remained the same as for the breastfeeding mothers. The non-intervention group were either breastfed or received the usual Italian milk feeding and weaning diet, without environmental advice. The main outcome measures were anthropometric measurements and allergic disease manifestations. Normal anthropometric data were observed both in the intervention group and in the non-intervention group. The incidence of allergic manifestations was much lower in the intervention group than in the non-intervention group at 1 year (11.5 versus 54.4%, respectively) and at 2 years (14.9 versus 65.6%) and 3 years (20.6 versus 74.1%). Atopic dermatitis and recurrent wheezing were found in both the intervention group and the non-intervention group from birth up to the second year of life, while urticaria and gastrointestinal disorders were only present in the non-intervention group in the first year of life. Conjunctivitis and rhinitis were present after the second year in both the intervention group and the non-intervention group. Relapse of the same allergic symptom was less in the intervention group (13.0%) than in the non-intervention group (36.9%). In comparison to the non-intervention group, there were fewer intervention group cases with two or more different allergic symptoms (8.7 versus 32.6%), and they were more likely to avoid steroid treatment (0 versus 10.8%) and hospital admission (0 versus 6.5%). Babies in the non-intervention group fed with adapted formula were more likely to develop allergies than breastfed babies in the same group. In the intervention group the breastfed infants had the lowest incidence of allergic symptoms, followed by the infants fed the hydrolysed formula (ns). Infants in the intervention group fed the adapted formula had significantly more allergies than the breastfed and hydrolysed milk fed infants, although less than their counterparts in the non-intervention group. Of the affected subjects in the intervention group, 80.4% were RAST and/or Prick positive to food or inhalant allergens. Total serum IgE values detected at birth in the intervention group were not predictive, but at 1 and 2 years of age, IgE values more than 2 SD above the mean in asymptomatic babies were found to predictive for later allergy. In breastfed babies the total IgE level at 1 and 2 years of age was lower than in the other two feeding groups. Of the various factors tested in the non-intervention group, the following were the most important in the pathogenesis of allergic symptoms: (i) formula implementation begun in the first week of life; (ii) early weaning (< 4 months); (iii) feeding beef (< 6 months); (iv) early introduction of cow's milk (< 6 months); and (v) parental smoking in the presence of the babies and early day care admission (< 2 years of life). All the preventive measures used in this study (exclusive breastfeeding and/or hydrolysed milk feeding, delayed and selective introduction of solid foods, and environmental advice) were effective at the third year of follow-up, greatly reducing allergic manifestations in high atopic risk babies in comparison with those not receiving these interventions
There was insufficient evidence to show effectiveness of any of the interventions, including breastfeeding education, pharmacological treatments and alternative therapies, regarding the occurrence of mastitis or breastfeeding exclusivity and duration. While studies reported the incidence of mastitis, they all used different interventions. Caution needs to be applied when considering the findings of this review as the conclusion is based on studies, often with small sample sizes. An urgent need for further adequately powered research is needed into this area to conclusively determine the effectiveness of these interventions.