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Ethionamide-induced gynecomastia: A rare case report

Egyptian Journal of Bronchology volume 11, pages 70–73 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Gynecomastia is a rare side effect of antitubercular chemotherapy. A 22-year-old male patient was diagnosed as a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis case and was put on standard second-line antituberculosis drugs. Two months later, the patient developed painful enlarged left breast with size 2×3cm2, mobile, tender, and normal nipple-areola without any discharge. Common endocrinological and biochemical tests were normal. Ethionamide-induced gynecomastia was suspected. Ultrasonography of the breast showed hypoechoic shadow suggesting glandular tissue hyperplasia without any deeper tissue infiltration. On discontinuing ethionamide, gynecomastia reduced gradually. On reintroduction, gynecomastia reappeared and again disappeared within weeks after withdrawal. Thus, painful gynecomastia induced by ethionamide was concluded. We report this case of unilateral painful gynecomastia because of its rarity and for the purpose of documentation and awareness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chest Medicine, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan, West Bengal, India

    Sourindra N. Banerjee, Rupam K. Ta MBBS, MD (TB & RD), DNB (Associate Professor), Md. Salim Mallick & Manish K. Munda

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  1. Sourindra N. Banerjee
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  2. Rupam K. Ta MBBS, MD (TB & RD), DNB
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  3. Md. Salim Mallick
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  4. Manish K. Munda
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Correspondence to Rupam K. Ta MBBS, MD (TB & RD), DNB.

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Banerjee, S.N., Ta, R.K., Mallick, M.S. et al. Ethionamide-induced gynecomastia: A rare case report. Egypt J Bronchol 11, 70–73 (2017). https://doi.org/10.4103/1687-8426.198998

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/1687-8426.198998

Keywords

  • ethionamide
  • gynecomastia
  • multidrug-resistant tuberculosis