The role of genetic factors

Abstract

Several factors are thought to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM). Autoimmunity, infections, hormonal abnormalities, breast trauma, obesity, and smoking are blamed in the etiology. Genetic differences between individuals might play an important role in the susceptibility to IGM disease, since there is an important relationship between a certain ethnic group and the frequency of the disease. The underlying genetic causes are still not elucidated and there are limited studies on genetic factors. This chapter focusses on the studies that are aiming to identify genetic factors in IGM susceptibility, microbiome studies to find out the underlying causative infections, and gene expression studies. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.