Self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms among Danish women with cosmetic breast implants.
BACKGROUND
No epidemiological evidence of an association between silicone breast implants and connective tissue disease has been found. Based on case reports, it has been hypothesized that silicone breast implants may be associated with a unique rheumatic symptom cluster termed "atypical connective tissue disease."


METHODS
We have evaluated self-reported rheumatic symptoms among women who received breast implants between 1977 and 1997 at 2 private plastic surgery clinics in Denmark. Women with other cosmetic surgery, including breast reduction, as well as women from the general population, were identified as controls.


RESULTS
No statistically significant differences in mild (odds ratio [OR] = 0.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.6-1.3), moderate (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.4-1.2), or severe (OR = 1.1; 95% CI = 0.6-2.1) musculoskeletal symptoms were observed when women with breast implants were compared with women with other cosmetic surgery. Compared with women from the general population, women with breast implants were statistically significantly less likely to have mild or moderate musculoskeletal symptoms (OR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3-0.7 and OR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.2-0.5, respectively); for severe symptoms the deficit was not statistically significant (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.3-1.3). For individual symptom groups, there was no consistent pattern of reporting among women with implants.


CONCLUSIONS
We did not find an excess of rheumatic symptoms or symptom clusters among women with breast implants. In fact, the occurrence of mild, moderate, and severe musculoskeletal symptoms was generally lower among women with implants compared with women with other cosmetic surgery and women in the general population.
Kjøller
Kim
K
Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. helle@cancer.dk
Hölmich
Lisbet Rosenkrantz
LR
Fryzek
Jon P
JP
Jacobsen
Poul Harboe
PH
Friis
Søren
S
McLaughlin
Joseph K
JK
Lipworth
Loren
L
Henriksen
Trine Foged
TF
Høier-Madsen
Mimi
M
Wiik
Allan
A
Olsen
Jørgen H
JH
D000328:Adult; D018427:Breast Implants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012828:Silicones; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D012828:Silicones