title: Aetiology of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis.
abstract: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is a rare chronic inflammatory lesion of the breast that can clinically and radiographically mimic breast carcinoma. The most common clinical presentation is an unilateral, discrete breast mass, nipple retraction and even a sinus formation often associated with an inflammation of the overlying skin. The etiology of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is still obscure. Its treatment remains controversial. The cause may be the autoimmune process, infection, a chemical reaction associated with oral contraceptive pills, or even lactation. Various factors, including hormonal imbalance, autoimmunity, unknown microbiological agents, smoking and α 1-antitrypsin deficiency have been suggested to play a role in disease aetiology. In this review, causing factors in the aetiology of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis are reviewed in detail.
authors.affiliation: Fatih Altintoprak, Orhan Veli Ozkan, Department of General Surgery, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, 54100 Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altintoprak
authors.affiliation: Fatih Altintoprak, Orhan Veli Ozkan, Department of General Surgery, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, 54100 Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Taner
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kivilcim
authors.affiliation: Fatih Altintoprak, Orhan Veli Ozkan, Department of General Surgery, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, 54100 Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Orhan Veli
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Ozkan
keywords: Granulomatous lobular mastitis; Granulomatous mastitis; Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis; Inflammation; Mastitis