The long-term course of mastalgia

Abstract

Mastalgia is a common condition in women of reproductive years. We have assessed the long-term course in patients with severe mastalgia by distributing a postal questionnaire to 212 patients previously studied in 1983 who had attended the mastalgia clinic at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. 175 patients (83%) responded, with an original diagnosis of cyclical mastalgia (CM) in 120 and non-cyclical mastalgia (NCM) in 55. The median age of onset of breast pain was 36 years (range 12-63 years). The average duration of pain was long (median 12 years), especially if it started in the second or third decade of life. Pain persisted in 68 (57%) of CM and 35 (64%) of NCM patients. In CM patients resolution was commonly associated with a 'hormonal' event, notably the menopause; in NCM patients it more often seemed to be spontaneous. Severe mastalgia ran a chronic relapsing course often requiring repeated drug treatments.

Fatores que Influenciam os Resultados do Tratamento Não-Medicamentoso das Mastalgias Cíclicas

“…Pode-se ainda especular que pacientes nessa faixa etária tenham maior maturidade emocional e se deixem influenciar positivamente pelos aspectos psicológicos em jogo nesse tipo de abordagem. Apesar de não termos tido pacientes com idade abaixo de 20 anos na nossa casuística, é pertinente comentar que o início de dor cíclica na mama, antes da idade de 20 anos, é seguido normalmente por um longo período sintomático 1,16 . Afirmam ainda esses autores que a idade do iní-cio da sintomatologia permite predizer, de alguma maneira, o curso da doença.…”

Living with Mastalgia

“…It is thought to be due to hormonal influence and is seen in 8-10%Pre-menopausal women. Non cyclical mastalgia is another type of mastalgia the pain of which does not correlate with menstruation as in cyclical mastalgia and is felt throughout the whole month 3,4 . Some breast pain or discomfort is experienced by about two third of women during the pre-menstrual phase 5 .…”

Ultrasonic evaluation of milk duct dilatation in mastalgia in Erbil, Iraq

“…Cyclic mastalgia accounts for approximately two thirds of breast pain and is commonest in premenopausal women. It typically waxes and wanes with the menstrual cycle and appears to be hormonal dependent in origin 7,8 . Cyclic mastalgia typically presents during the third or fourth decade of life.…”

“…Remission often occurs with hormonal events such as pregnancy or menopause. Only 14% of women with cyclic mastalgia experience spontaneous resolution; however, 42% experience resolution at menopause 7 . The cause of cyclical mastalgia is unknown.…”

“…Non-cyclic mastalgia involves constant or intermittent pain that is not associated with the menstrual cycle. It is less common that cyclic mastalgia and accounts for approximately 31% of women seen in mastalgia clinics 7 . Non-cyclic mastalgia is in postmenopausal women 8 .…”