What causes breast development in boys?

Do you know about the problem of male breast development? We all know that breast development is a characteristic of female friends, so how can it happen in men? In fact, this phenomenon is very common in clinical practice, and it is also of concern to many people. Male breast development has a great impact on men. It affects appearance and also causes trouble for men. Let's take a look at what is going on with boys' breast development.

Symptoms and signs

Men may develop unilateral or bilateral palpable breast tissue that appears as disc-shaped nodules or diffuse enlargement, sometimes accompanied by enlargement of the nipple and areola. Local discomfort or tenderness may be felt, and in a few patients a small amount of white secretion may be seen overflowing when the nipple is squeezed. Pathological gynecomastia caused by organic diseases also has the clinical manifestations of the primary disease.

Pathological etiology

The growth of female breasts depends on the action of estrogen. Giving men estrogen can also lead to breast development, and it is histologically indistinguishable from male breast development caused by other reasons. Therefore, it can be assumed that all male breast development is due to increased estrogen secretion or a decrease in the androgen/estrogen ratio. Excessive estrogen is the main cause of gynecomastia in men. Giving men exogenous estrogen preparations, such as estrogen treatment for prostate cancer patients, long-term use of estrogen in transgender men, and excessive estrogen secretion from adrenal or testicular tumors can all lead to gynecomastia. The etiology of gynecomastia in men is classified in Table 1.

Diet and health care

Eat mainly light food and pay attention to dietary regularity.

Preventive Care

Discontinue medications that may cause gynecomastia. If necessary, it should be used under the guidance of a doctor in a regular hospital and undergo regular check-ups.

Disease diagnosis

A thorough medication history can help identify drug-induced gynecomastia. A careful physical examination, including evaluation of secondary sexual characteristics, testes, and body shape, plus measurement of sex hormones and gonadotropins, helps diagnose primary or secondary hypotesticularism. Liver and kidney function tests help diagnose liver and kidney failure. Cortisol and ACTH, 17-OHP, 17-ketosteroids, and 17-ketogenic steroids can be measured to evaluate congenital adrenal hyperplasia. If the results of all the above tests are normal, it can be diagnosed as idiopathic gynecomastia.

What's wrong with boys' breast development? If a male friend experiences this, he should go for a check-up in time. This may also indicate that there are some diseases in your body. You should go to the hospital for a thorough examination and pay attention to a light diet in your daily life.