Statistics on %of Men w/Gyne

[4tuneit1]

Just wondering how prevalent Gynecomastia is among say men 16-40 ?? Seems as there is quite a high number of PS doing good business, as Gyne is demystified and men become more confident to take care of this issue?   Are there any solid numbers anywhere as to how many men are living with gyne??  Post links if possible...Thanks!

[merle]

As it is not a pathology, numbers are not kept that I am aware of. It is said that one third of all men will deal with this in their lifetime. A lot in old age.

Merle

[Paa_Paw]

As said above, it is not a disease so adequate records are not obtainable.

Complicating the situation even further, those healthcare professionals who do report it tend only to report the cases where the patient has actually brought the issue to the fore. Meaning that unless you specifically mention it to the Doctor yourself, the condition would probably not be noted. (even if obvious)

A nurse I know who works in a nursing home and has contact with men as patients and mostly over the age of 70 said that about 2/3 of her male patients had obvious breast enlargement. This too could be influenced by other elements such as drugs used to treat/prevent prostate conditions etc. Her estimation could be, and probably is, more subjective than objective so I really don't know what to make of it.

Many insurance companies consider gynecomastia without pathology to be Normal and use this as the rationalization for denial of surgical benefits. Some of these will authorize surgery on appeal if Psychologic damage is linked to the Gynecomastia.

[phantom]

I think it is very difficult to define as gynaecomastia is 'caused' by a number of factors.

As a foetus, for the first six weeks of life we are technically all female until hormones start to do their work.  So in effect, we all have female plumbing with certain parts reshaped!

Gynaecomastia comes from the Greek 'woman like breasts'.  So it is really down to the individual to decide what is and what is not 'woman like.'

Loosely, as stated in previous posts, gynaecomastia does not present as a pathological condition.  However, it can be caused as product of hormonal abnormalities which is where the pathology can be stemmed from.  Also there is the huge array of psychological issues that are connected to gynaecomastia which is a field of pathology in it's own right.

Gynaecomastia is 'caused' by either excess fatty tissue and/or glandular/breast tissue.  Either separately or combined, it can often cause the contour of the chest to give a 'woman's breast like' appearance.  Estimates of the number of men with some degree of glandular/breast tissue is often quoted around 40 - 60% of the general male population.  However many of those with a small degree of breast tissue would not have what could be described as 'woman-like' breasts and therfore not diagnosed with gynaecomastia.  Also men with a predominantly fat issue, without glandular tissue present could have 'woman like' breasts.

So as you can see, it's not at all clear.  But irrespective of how apparent the perceived issue of gynaecomastia is, it's not so much how much what's going on, on the chest as much as what's going on inside the head!

Clear as mud?