[Non-puerperal mastitis: a disease without end? (Results of a long-term study)]

Recently, the symptomatology and therapy of non-puerperal mastitis (N.P.M.) was investigated in more than 100 patients by Goepel u. Pahnke (1991). Because of the lack of information on the prognosis and rates of recurrence, the situation of our patients was reexamined by questionnaires or telephone calls. We wanted to know, if the recommended long term therapy with bromocriptine (BC) had been completed and which factors would influence the recurrency rates after primary treatment. During continuous observation (82 patients could be evaluated), the shortest disease-free interval was calculated to be 4 months, independent of the kind of therapy, up to 77 months for the greatest interval between primary and secondary manifestation of MNP. The primary recurrence rate during the first three years following primary therapy, was shown to depend on the kind of therapy with a clear advantage for BC therapy. This was also supported by the observation, that the mean disease-free interval was 36 months in case of BC therapy in contrast to 12 months in such patients without long term prolactin-lowering therapy. This advantage for the BC therapy was no longer observed later, if the so-called secondary recurrence rate was investigated. It was somewhat disappointing, that only 20% of the patients were treated further in an adequate manner by BC, and it was also surprising, that maintenance of BC therapy for more than six months had no additional positive effect on the secondary recurrence rate. The best results were obtained in patients with trauma to the mammary gland being responsible for the first N.P.M.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)