Good News about breast implants

May 6, 2001

My father sent me this one. Just look at the twisted headline....and then note this sentence in the article:

"However, the researchers did find that the women with implants had higher rates of “ill-defined” connective tissue problems, including general muscle pain and fibromyalgia (chronic pain of the muscles and joints). "

http://thehealthchannel.com/reference/referencearticle.asp?docid=41577 & catID=36 & rootcatID=36 & co_id=EL001

Good News About Breast Implants

NEWPORT BEACH, CA (thehealthchannel.com) – Two new studies have found no link between breast implants and the risk of connective tissue disease. In the first study, published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, a team of Dutch researchers followed 11,000 women in Denmark who had breast implants between 1973 and 1995. Dr. Kim Kjoller of the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen and colleagues found that the women who received implants (containing silicone, saline solution or other materials) were no more likely to have any connective tissue disease than were women who underwent other cosmetic procedures. However, the researchers did find that the women with implants had higher rates of “ill-defined” connective tissue problems, including general muscle pain and fibromyalgia (chronic pain of the muscles and joints). The reasons for these problems were unclear, they said. They speculated that women who seek cosmetic procedures may have higher rates of non-specific conditions that affect connective tissue. A second study, led by Dr. Karlson and colleagues from Harvard Medical School, compared the medical records of 288 women who had breast implants with 288 women who did not. Writing in an earlier issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, they concluded that there was no evidence that the implants increased the risk of an immune system abnormality called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance). According to the researchers, earlier studies had suggested a link between MGUS and the silicone gel used in some breast implants. However, they wrote, “We find little evidence to support a substantial increased risk of MGUS in women with breast implants.” Conflicting News These two studies come on the heels of another contentious year in the debate over the safety of breast implants. News touting their safety is regularly offset by news warning of potential problems from their use. For example, a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine argued that current evidence does not demonstrate that breast implants are associated with an increased risk of connective-tissue diseases. Dr. Esther Janowsky of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues reviewed a number of previous studies and concluded that eliminating the implants would not lead to a reduction in the incidence of these illnesses. A new antibiotic solution developed by plastic surgeons at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas may help reduce or eliminate capsular contracture, the most common risk associated with reconstructive and cosmetic breast-implant surgery. Writing in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. said that the new solution inhibits bacterial growth from organisms commonly found around breast implants, which can cause hardening of the implants. In contrast, scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reported that breast implants might rupture more often than previously thought. They looked at rupture rates among women who received implants before 1988 as part of a National Cancer Institute study. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 344 women, they found that 69 percent had at least one ruptured implant. And 21 percent had silicone gel that had leaked outside of one or both breasts. One-third had at least one surgery to have an implant removed or replaced. And yet, last May the FDA said that implants filled with saline (salt water) were safe enough to stay on the market despite high rates of complications, including ruptures. But al, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, warned: “It’s clear from these studies that there is a possibility that a substantial number of women who get these implants will require additional surgery at some point to remove or replace their implants because of complications. Women should understand that breast implants do not last a lifetime. And they should be aware that women who choose not to replace their implants after removal may have cosmetically unacceptable dimpling or puckering.” Nonetheless, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery says the benefits of saline implants outweigh the risks, citing a recent study showing that 95 percent of women surveyed say they would make the same choice to have implants again. The Food and Drug Administration recently published a new brochure for women considering breast implants, including breast cancer patients who are considering breast reconstruction after mastectomy. The brochure is available online at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants '>http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants. SOURCES: Archives of Internal Medicine, April 6, 2001; 161:973-979Archives of Internal Medicine, March 26, 2001; 161:864-867New England Journal of Medicine, March 16, 2000; 342:781-790, 812-815Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, January 2000U.S. Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants '>http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants) Written by A. Zmuda, thehealthchannel.com Editorial Team

May 8, 2001

I am so sick of hearing about how implants are not related to connective tissue diseases!!! Unfortunately, this debate is going to go on till the end of time, I'm afraid.

What scares me in this particular study is that researchers have developed an antibiotic solution to use while implanting the device. Having specialized in infectious disease and worked with multiple antibiotics and resistant bacteria, this truly scares me. We are so quickly running out of effective antibiotics because of people like this who use antibiotics for anything.

This is not the answer for preventing capsular contracture. The only thing that this will do is cause more resistant bacteria!! And just what are the docs (and pts) going to do when we no longer have effective antibiotics?

People are going to start dying--just like they did before the advent of PCN (penicillin).

This is truly a scary development in the breast implant controversy. For me, this rates right up there with the dangers of breast implants!!

e

May 8, 2001

> My father sent me this one. Just look at the twisted

headline....and then note this sentence in the article:

>

> " However, the researchers did find that the women with implants had

higher rates of " ill-defined " connective tissue problems, including

general muscle pain and fibromyalgia (chronic pain of the muscles and

joints). "

>

http://thehealthchannel.com/reference/referencearticle.asp?docid=41577

& catID=36 & rootcatID=36 & co_id=EL001

>

> Good News About Breast Implants

>

> NEWPORT BEACH, CA (thehealthchannel.com) - Two new studies

have found no link between breast implants and the risk of connective

tissue disease.

> In the first study, published in the journal Archives of

Internal Medicine, a team of Dutch researchers followed 11,000 women

in Denmark who had breast implants between 1973 and 1995. Dr. Kim

Kjoller of the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen and

colleagues found that the women who received implants (containing

silicone, saline solution or other materials) were no more likely to

have any connective tissue disease than were women who underwent

other cosmetic procedures.

>

> However, the researchers did find that the women with

implants had higher rates of " ill-defined " connective tissue

problems, including general muscle pain and fibromyalgia (chronic

pain of the muscles and joints). The reasons for these problems were

unclear, they said. They speculated that women who seek cosmetic

procedures may have higher rates of non-specific conditions that

affect connective tissue.

>

> A second study, led by Dr. Karlson and colleagues

from Harvard Medical School, compared the medical records of 288

women who had breast implants with 288 women who did not. Writing in

an earlier issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, they concluded

that there was no evidence that the implants increased the risk of an

immune system abnormality called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of

undetermined significance).

>

> According to the researchers, earlier studies had suggested a

link between MGUS and the silicone gel used in some breast implants.

However, they wrote, " We find little evidence to support a

substantial increased risk of MGUS in women with breast implants. "

>

> Conflicting News

>

> These two studies come on the heels of another contentious

year in the debate over the safety of breast implants. News touting

their safety is regularly offset by news warning of potential

problems from their use.

>

> For example, a recent report in the New England Journal of

Medicine argued that current evidence does not demonstrate that

breast implants are associated with an increased risk of connective-

tissue diseases. Dr. Esther Janowsky of the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues reviewed a number of previous

studies and concluded that eliminating the implants would not lead to

a reduction in the incidence of these illnesses.

>

> A new antibiotic solution developed by plastic surgeons at

the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas may

help reduce or eliminate capsular contracture, the most common risk

associated with reconstructive and cosmetic breast-implant surgery.

Writing in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr.

said that the new solution inhibits bacterial growth

from organisms commonly found around breast implants, which can cause

hardening of the implants.

>

> In contrast, scientists at the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) recently reported that breast implants might rupture more often

than previously thought. They looked at rupture rates among women who

received implants before 1988 as part of a National Cancer Institute

study. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 344 women,

they found that 69 percent had at least one ruptured implant. And 21

percent had silicone gel that had leaked outside of one or both

breasts. One-third had at least one surgery to have an implant

removed or replaced.

>

> And yet, last May the FDA said that implants filled with

saline (salt water) were safe enough to stay on the market despite

high rates of complications, including ruptures. But al,

director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health,

warned: " It's clear from these studies that there is a possibility

that a substantial number of women who get these implants will

require additional surgery at some point to remove or replace their

implants because of complications. Women should understand that

breast implants do not last a lifetime. And they should be aware that

women who choose not to replace their implants after removal may have

cosmetically unacceptable dimpling or puckering. "

>

> Nonetheless, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic

Surgery says the benefits of saline implants outweigh the risks,

citing a recent study showing that 95 percent of women surveyed say

they would make the same choice to have implants again.

>

> The Food and Drug Administration recently published a new

brochure for women considering breast implants, including breast

cancer patients who are considering breast reconstruction after

mastectomy. The brochure is available online at

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants '>http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants.

>

> SOURCES:

>

> Archives of Internal Medicine, April 6, 2001; 161:973-979

> Archives of Internal Medicine, March 26, 2001; 161:864-867

> New England Journal of Medicine, March 16, 2000; 342:781-790,

812-815

> Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, January 2000

> U.S. Food and Drug Administration

(http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants '>http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastimplants)

>

> Written by A. Zmuda, thehealthchannel.com Editorial

Team

May 8, 2001