Epidemiology
It is difficult to determine the exact incidence of this condition, given that there is no clear definition or diagnostic criteria and it is often a diagnosis of exclusion. The estimated incidence rate of fibrocystic changes increases with age, from 137 per 100,000 woman-years at ages 25 to 29 years, to 411 per 100,000 woman-years at ages 40 to 44 years, and to 387 per 100,000 woman-years at ages 45 to 49 years, after which it decreases.[3] The peak incidence of symptoms occurs in women between the third and fifth decades of life, when the degree of diffuse palpable nodularity in the breast may increase.[4] There is a higher prevalence of cysts as women approach menopause. Histologic evidence from autopsy studies finds fibrocystic changes in 54% of clinically normal breasts.[5]
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