title: HIV and the breast.
abstract: HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy may alter the spectrum and frequency of diseases that affect the breast. The differential diagnosis of conditions of the breast that a practitioner may encounter in HIV-infected persons includes infection, morphologic alterations, and malignancy. Atypical infections may involve the breast as CD4+ T-cell counts wane. More commonly, HIV-infected persons present with gynecomastia, which may be caused by a variety of conditions, including exposure to HAART. True gynecomastia, resulting from proliferation of male breast ducts and periductal stroma, might be differentiated from lipomastia--a manifestation of lipodystrophy, characterized by the deposition of adipose tissue in the breast. In the era of HAART, HIV-infected patients with malignancy--particularly those who have robust CD4+ T-cell counts and well-controlled HIV viral loads--should be treated similarly to their HIV-negative counterparts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Gewurz
authors.forename: Bruce J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Dezube
authors.forename: Liron
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pantanowitz
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006177:Gynecomastia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents