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Gynecomastia

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Abstract

Gynecomastia is a benign proliferation of glandular tissue in the male breast. It can be unilateral or, more commonly, bilateral and often asymmetrical (Billa et al., Andrology 9: 1444, 2021).

A recent study observed a 32.3% prevalence of gynecomastia among 1877 men undergoing CT scans during the coronavirus pandemic (Aslan et al., Eur J Breast Health 17(2):173–179, 2021). Its prevalence was also studied in different populations and three main peaks were found throughout life: 60–90% of newborns, approximately 50% of pubescent and young adults and 24–65% of the elderly. The wide variation in prevalence is due, in part, to differences in the definition of gynecomastia. In some studies, the condition was diagnosed if the breast diameter was ≥0.5 cm on palpation, while in others, the minimum diameter of breast glandular tissue required was ≥2 cm (Braunstein, J Clin Endocrinol Metab 105(10):e3810–e3811, 2020; Kanakis et al., Andrology 7(6):778–793, 2019).

Most cases are asymptomatic and self-limiting, but when persistent, they can be associated with important psychosocial consequences, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem (Ordaz and Thompson, Body Image 15:141–148, 2015; Baumgarten and Dabaja, Curr Urol Rep 19(7):46, 2018).

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  1. Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Alexandre Hohl, Marcelo Fernando Ronsoni & Simone van de Sande Lee

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    Alexandre Hohl

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Hohl, A., Ronsoni, M.F., van de Sande Lee, S. (2023). Gynecomastia. In: Hohl, A. (eds) Testosterone. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31501-5_6

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