Profile of benign breast diseases in urban India

Background: Literature on benign breast disorders and diseases in India is scanty. Mastalgia which is the most common problem seen in the West, finds little mention in our country. The purpose of this study was to profile benign breast problems amongst urban Indian women in general and highlight mastalgia in particular. Material and methods: A cross-sectional analysis of 1786 women undergoing a routine health check-up was done for this purpose. Results: 216 out of the 1693 (12.75%) Indian women studied were found to have benign breast problems. Pain was the most common breast related complaint and mastalgia was the most common clinical problem (62.5%) occurring in the 3rd decade of life. Conclusion: Benign breast disorders and diseases are common in urban India as is mastalgia.