US study finds no silicone and disease link
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A US study of nurses has found no link between silicone breast implants and connective-tissue disease. The study of 87,501 female nurses, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (June 22nd), found 516 confirmed cases of connective tissue disease. Some 1,183 of the women had breast implants - 876 silicone-gel filled, 170 saline, 67 double-lumen, 14 polyurethane-coated and 56 of unknown type - but only three of the women with definite connective tissue-disease had implants and only one had silicone. All three had rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers did find a 50% increase in self-reported signs or symptoms of connective-tissue disease that was just short of being statistically significant.