Gigantomastia

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Disease Overview

Gigantomastia is a rare condition characterized by excessive breast growth. It may occur spontaneously, during puberty or pregnancy, or while taking certain medications.[1333][1335] There is no universally accepted definition of gigantomastia, but the majority of medical articles refer to a particular weight of excess breast tissue.[12316] Symptoms of gigantomastic may include mastalgia (breast pain), ulceration/infection, posture problems, back pain and chronic traction injury to 4th/5th/6th intercostal nerves with resultant loss of nipple sensation. It is also associated with decreased fetal growth, if it occurs during pregnancy.[1333]

The exact cause of gigantomastia is not known; however, hormonal and hereditary factors may be involved. Additionally, gigantomastia has been noted as a side effect of treatment with certain medications, such as like D-penicillamine.[1334][1335] Treatment may include breast reduction, mastectomy with or without reconstruction, hormonal treatment, or a combination of treatments.[1333][1334]


Synonyms

  • Macromastia
  • Gestational gigantomastia (subtype)
  • Pregnancy-induced gigantomastia (subtype)
  • Idiopathic gigantomastia (subtype)
  • Puberty-induced gigantomastia (subtype)
  • Juvenile gigantomastia (subtype)
  • Drug-induced gigantomastia (subtype)
  • Medication-induced gigantomastia (subtype)

For more information, visit GARD.

National Organization for Rare Disorders