Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia or Gynaecomastia is the abnormal development of large mammary glands in males resulting in breast enlargement. The condition can occur physiologically in neonates(due to female hormones from the mother), in adolescence, and in the elderly (Both in adolescence and elderly it is an abnormal condition associated with disease or metabolic disorders). In adolescent boys the condition is often a source of distress, but for the large majority of boys whose pubescent gynecomastia is not due to obesity, the breast development shrinks or disappears within a couple of years.

The causes of common gynecomastia remain uncertain, although it has generally been attributed to an imbalance of sex hormones or the tissue responsiveness to them; a root cause is rarely determined for individual cases. The condition may also be caused by an imbalance of estrogenic and androgenic effects on the breast, resulting in an increased or unopposed estrogen action on breast tissue. Approximately 4 to 10% cases of gynecomastia are due to drugs. Aldactone (spironolactone) is a very common culprit that has a 17% rate of developing the condition. Both Digoxin and Furosemide are also reported to cause the same condition. Although, chances of gynecomastia could be more if these two drugs are co-administered. The condition known as pseudogynecomastia, or lipomastia, is characterized by fat deposition without glandular proliferation. Although gynecomastia is usually bilateral, it can be unilateral.