title: Antipolymer antibodies in Danish women with silicone breast implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To use a new immunologic assay to evaluate antipolymer antibody (APA) levels among women with silicone breast implants (SBIs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (n = 186) were identified through Danish population-based registers and categorized into six groups defined by prior breast surgery (silicone breast implantation/breast reduction/no breast surgery) and by the presence or absence of a prior hospital diagnosis of soft-tissue rheumatism (muscular rheumatism, ICD-8 codes 717.90 and 717.99). The women underwent blood tests, including an APA test, a clinical examination, and an interview focusing on rheumatic complaints. Blood samples were tested blindly. The severity of rheumatic symptoms/signs was scored from 1 (none) to 5 (severe) based on the clinical examination and interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with SBIs did not have higher levels of APA than women without SBIs. The majority of women with SBIs had mild rheumatic complaints, and the severity of their symptoms was not related to APA levels. Among women who had previously been hospitalized because of soft-tissue rheumatism, there were more fibromyalgia cases, and their symptoms were more severe compared with those women without prior soft-tissue rheumatism; however, APA levels were not higher among these women. There was a significant difference in APA measurements resulting from between-kit variation (p less 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data did not demonstrate higher APA levels among women with SBIs compared with controls. The large variation observed between the individual plates in the APA test should be evaluated in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Parker Institute, Frederiksberg Hospital, P.G. Ramms Allé 1,3th, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark. bjensen@aab11.dk
authors.forename: Bente
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Irene Hechmann
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Wittrup
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiik
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bliddal
authors.forename: Birthe
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.forename: Joseph K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.forename: Bente
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Danneskiold-Samsøe
authors.forename: Jørgen H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D018427:Breast Implants; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012826:Silicone Elastomers
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D012826:Silicone Elastomers