Report of gynecomastia in five male patients during antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection

Gynecomastia is a benign enlargement of the male breast caused by proliferation of the glandular component. It may result from pathological conditions such as neoplasms, liver disease and hyperthyroidism, or drugs. Gynecomastia seems to be a rare complication of HIV itself, because two patients have developed this pathology without antiretroviral therapy. Few cases of gynecomastia have been reported in male patients treated with protease inhibitors (PI) or nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI). We describe five additional cases, probably related to anti-retroviral therapy.