Amastia

Amastia refers to a rare clinical anomaly in which both internal breast tissue and the visible nipple are absent on one or both sides. It affects both men and women. Amastia can be either isolated (the only medical condition) or comorbid with other syndromes, such as ectodermal dysplasia, Syndactyly (Poland's syndrome) and lipoatrophic diabetes.[1] This abnormality can be classified into various types, and each could result from different pathologies.[2] Amastia differs from amazia and athelia. Amazia is the absence of one or both mammary glands but the nipples remain present, and athelia is the absence of one or both nipples, but the mammary gland remains.[3]

Amastia is presumably due to failure of embryologic (before birth) mammary ridge development or incomplete involution. People with amastia often suffer from ectodermal defects, which include various syndromes such as cleft palate, isolated pectoral muscle and abnormal formation of the arms.[4]

Treatment for female amastia particularly includes psychological guidance and breast reconstruction.[1] Because there is no breast tissue, breastfeeding is not possible. If amastia only appears on one side, then it is possible to breastfeed on the other side. Often, people with amastia decide against treatment.

  1. ^ a b Patil LG, Shivanna NH, Benakappa N, Ravindranath H, Bhat R (October 2013). "Congenital amastia". Indian Journal of Pediatrics. 80 (10): 870–1. doi:10.1007/s12098-012-0919-1. PMID 23255076. S2CID 44908103.
  2. ^ Caouette-Laberge L, Borsuk D (February 2013). "Congenital anomalies of the breast". Seminars in Plastic Surgery. 27 (1): 36–41. doi:10.1055/s-0033-1343995. PMC 3706049. PMID 24872738.
  3. ^ Borck G, de Vries L, Wu HJ, Smirin-Yosef P, Nürnberg G, Lagovsky I, Ishida LH, Thierry P, Wieczorek D, Nürnberg P, Foley J, Kubisch C, Basel-Vanagaite L (August 2014). "Homozygous truncating PTPRF mutation causes athelia". Human Genetics. 133 (8): 1041–7. doi:10.1007/s00439-014-1445-1. PMID 24781087. S2CID 2810158.
  4. ^ Carr RJ, Smith SM, Peters SB (2018). Primary and Secondary Dermatologic Disorders of the Breast. Elsevier. pp. 177–196.e7. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-35955-9.00013-1. ISBN 9780323359559. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)