Is aberrant mammary tissue a marker for chronic alcoholism or kidney-urinary tract malformations?

BACKGROUND

Numerous publications describe the relationship between aberrant mammary tissue (AMT) and kidney-urinary tract malformations, individual/ familial alcoholism and sense organ disorders.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We investigated these possible associations and reviewed 72 cases observed in our Department during the past 3 years: 30 men and 42 women, 17 of them with bilateral AMT (7 men and 10 women) and 25 patients from 9 families. Diagnosis was made according to Kajawa's classification. A detailed family history was performed asking for individual or familial alcoholism, especially in the mother, in addition to blood tests and ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and the kidneys.

RESULTS

We only found 1 family history of alcoholism in 3 families, but in the father, never in the mother or the affected subject. No congenital/ hereditary nephrourinary defects or sense organ disorders were found.

CONCLUSIONS

We believe that in our population AMT is not a marker for alcoholism, kidney-urinary malformations nor sense organ disorders.