Hypertrophy of Breast

Hypertrophy Of Breast

Hypertrophy of the breast (macromastia and gigantomastia) is a rare medical condition of the breast connective tissues. The indication is a breast weight that exceeds approximately 3% of the total body weight. There are varying definitions ranging from an excessive breast tissue, that is the expected breast tissue plus extraordinary breast tissue, with a weight from as little as 0.6 kilograms (1.3 lb) up to 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb) with most physicians defining macromastia as excessive tissue of over 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb). Some resources distinguish between macromastia, where excessive tissue is less than 2.5 kg, and gigantomastia, where excessive tissue is more than 2.5 kg. The enlargement can cause muscular discomfort and over-stretching of the skin envelope, which can lead in some cases to ulceration. Hypertrophy of the breast tissues might be caused by increased histologic sensitivity to the female hormones prolactin, estrogen, and progesterone; or an abnormally elevated hormone(s) level in the blood, or both. Breast hypertrophy is a benign progressive enlargement, which can occur in both breasts (bilateral) or only in one breast (unilateral). It was first scientifically described in 1648.