2: The British perspective

In the United Kingdom, the Medical Devices Agency of the Department of Health released a comprehensive review in December 1994 of all the published studies that examined the relationship between silicone breast implantation and connective-tissue disease. ¹² The following is an extract from the review's conclusions.

"There is no reliable evidence to support the various putative mechanisms by which silicone breast implants allegedly cause connective tissue disease, nor has there been any credible evidence of any particular immunological determinants related to silicone gel breast implants which predispose to connective tissue disease. The number of reported cases remains much lower than expected by chance, presumably due to under reporting, and it should be noted that the coexistence of two factors does not necessarily mean that they are linked by causation. . . . The advice remains that there is no evidence of an increased risk of connective tissue disease in patients who have had silicone gel breast implants and therefore, no scientific case for changing practice or policy in the United Kingdom with respect to breast implantation."

<URL: http://www.mja.com.au/> © 1997 Medical Journal of Australia.
We appreciate your comments.