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Rupture of Silicone Gel Breast Implants and Symptoms of Pain and Fatigue
RUUD C.W. VERMEULEN and HANS R. SCHOLTE
ABSTRACT.
Methods. Five hundred readers of the Dutch silicone breast implant support group magazine were asked to respond if they had been informed by the surgeon about the silicone implant status at operation, and to answer questions about symptoms of CFS. Their complaints were compared with those of 100 female patients with CFS and 40 female controls. Results. The questionnaires were returned by 319 women. Of these, 227 had symptoms of debilitating chronic fatigue. The patterns of symptoms differed from those in patients with CFS. An analysis of the relation between integrity of the implants and the symptoms could be carried out in 176 women, and 74% of these latter women reported ruptured implants. Significantly more women with ruptured implants than those with intact implants had debilitating chronic fatigue (75% vs 51%), postexertional malaise > 24 h (77% vs 51%), impaired short term memory (58% vs 38%), and multi-joint pain (77% vs 60%). Conclusion. Women with silicone breast implants often report severe pain and chronic fatigue. Rupture of the implant is associated with an increase in symptoms of pain and chronic fatigue. (J Rheumatol 2003;30:2263-7) Key Indexing Terms:
BREAST IMPLANTS
From the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Centre, Amsterdam; and Department of Biochemistry, Erasmus MC – University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. R.C.W. Vermeulen, MD, PhD, Clinical Research, Director, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Centre Amsterdam; H.R. Scholte, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry. Address reprint requests to Dr. R.C.W. Vermeulen, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Centre Amsterdam, Waalstraat 25, 1078 BR Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: rcwvermeulen@cfscentrumamsterdam.nl Submitted September 13, 2002; revision accepted February 24, 2003. |