Gynecomastia is the abnormal enlargement of the male breast that makes a man’s chest appear more feminine. The condition has numerous causes, with 10-25% of cases resulting from medications such as anabolic steroids, anti-androgens, antidepressants and the antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs used to treat HIV.
How gynecomastia is treated depends on the type and seriousness of the case in question: sometimes surgery proves necessary, especially in low-income countries where there is a relative dearth of health resources and specialized equipment.
This study reports the case of a 46-year-old man being treated with ART medications and admitted to the Beira Central Hospital in Mozambique due to a notable increase in the size of his breasts. The patient underwent a bilateral mastectomy whose outcome was positive despite the seriousness of the pathology with which he had been diagnosed.