Review Do silicone breast implants cause autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Current estimates are that up to a million women in the U.S. have breast implants with the predominant type being the silicone gel implant. Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of silicone gel breast implants with focus upon whether escaped gel might cause inflammatory and immune responses that subsequently lead to autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren's syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis. A spectrum of illnesses ranging from local symptoms to systemic disease is seen in some patients with silicone breast implants, however, it remains to be determined whether such illnesses in these patients are coincidentally associated or are secondary to the implants. Our understanding of the relationship between the presence of autoimmune rheumatic diseases and silicone breast implants is limited. The available data indicate that silicone elicits a minimal immunological response as compared to conventional antigens. The h...