Male breast gland development

For many people, breast diseases are usually only suffered by women. In fact, this is not the case. Men sometimes also suffer from breast diseases. Physiological male breast development is more common in newborns, puberty, and menopause, and most of them can heal on their own. Male breast development is characterized by breast hypertrophy, unilateral or double lumps, and sometimes some pain. This condition is more common in middle-aged and elderly people and less common in adolescents. Let’s take a closer look at it below.

Causes of Gynecomastia:

1. Relative or absolute increase in estrogen

Testosterone can be converted into estrogen in the body, and testosterone itself can also cause hyperplasia of particularly sensitive breast tissue.

(ii) Increased pituitary gonadotropin

In particular, the luteinizing hormone, also known as prolactin, can cause the production of connective tissue between the mammary ducts and increase adipose tissue.

(iii) Breast tissue becomes more sensitive to the trace amounts of estrogen normally found in male body fluids.

(iv) The use of estrogen or drugs with estrogen-like effects such as reserpine, isoniazid, and human chorionic gonadotropin.

Differential diagnosis of gynecomastia:

1. Physiological gynecomastia

1. Newborns have enlarged breasts, which disappear about a week after birth. In rare cases, they may persist for several years. This is due to the influence of estrogen in the blood circulation and produced by the placenta.

2. Boys in puberty will experience breast development to varying degrees, sooner or later, accounting for about 70% of boys. This may be due to the increased sensitivity of breast tissue during this period. It usually lasts for several years and gradually disappears on its own, but it may persist throughout one's life, which is called idiopathic breast development.

3. After middle age, when men begin to have sexual dysfunction, they often experience transient breast development, which may be due to increased secretion of pituitary gonadotropin, causing an imbalance of sex hormones.

2. Pathological gynecomastia

1. Testicular tumors such as choriocarcinoma and stromal cell tumor.

2. Adrenal cortical tumors with feminization are often malignant and occur during adolescence or adulthood. In addition to breast development, they are accompanied by testicular atrophy, penile shrinkage, and sexual dysfunction. Increased excretion of ketosteroids and estrogens in urine.

3. Hypothyroidism may be accompanied by increases in thyroid-stimulating hormone, gonadotropins, and other pituitary hormones.

4. Abnormal gonadal development such as male pseudohermaphroditism and testicular hypoplasia, accompanied by increased pituitary gonadotropin.

5. Damage to liver function such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and hepatitis may be due to the weakening of estrogen inactivation in the body, leading to increased estrogen levels.

6. Malnutrition recovery period: Due to long-term malnutrition or chronic wasting diseases, the gonads and pituitary functions that are sensitive to protein lack are activated again once nutrition is improved and physical strength gradually recovers, which is the so-called second puberty. Gonadal function becomes active again. However, long-term damaged liver function cannot recover at a corresponding speed, leading to endocrine disorders. Its mechanism seems to be equivalent to the combined existence of cirrhosis and idiopathic breast development. Such patients often have hepatomegaly or liver dysfunction.

Prevention of Gynecomastia:

Cultivate your body and mind, and keep a good mood; strengthen physical exercise, exercise in moderation, and avoid overwork; eat nutritious and easily digestible food, avoid fatty and greasy food, and avoid cold and irritating food; actively treat various primary diseases; use drugs that may disrupt the endocrine system with caution.