Silicone breast implants

I have silicone breast implants and am being tested for lupus. Is there any connection between silicone implants and lupus?  

Since 1992 there have been several research studies about the following question, none have shown a clear association between lupus and silicone breast implants.

1998 of March reviews have been looked at involving silicone breast implants from the National Institutes of Health requesting that the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences provide studies.  And the Institute of Medicine provided a committee of experts that were involved with the studies of silicone breast implants and lupus to assess the situation and health conditions.

On July 22, 1998 a one day workshop gave testimony which included epidemiology and observational studies, immunology reports, company data from Mentor corp, and Dow Corning corp. and surgery, pathology, and radiology information.  Then on July 24 a hearing took place considering the views and a wide variety of advocacy, industry, and public policy groups.

In June 1999 of the following year a final report concurred with the evidence does not support the notion that having silicone breast implants can cause lupus.  Today there is no scientific data to indicate a cause-effect relationship between the two.

If I have my implants removed, will my lupus symptoms improve, will the lupus go away?

Reports of women who have their breast implant removed there symptoms improved, and symptoms do not improve after removal as well.

 Is there any truth to the claims being circulated on the Internet that lupus is caused by the artificial sweetener, aspartame?

Individuals with lupus are in danger when associated with using artificial sweeteners and aspartame.  Again there is no known proof that using aspartame and causing or worsening SLE.

Anyone with Lupus should consult their physician before making changes due to diet, medical treatment, exercise or other routine based on information received through the internet without known credentials.

 I have heard that dental fillings may trigger lupus. Is there anything to this?

No scientific evidence shows that dental fillings may trigger lupus.  It is mostly highly unlikely that fillings can trigger or cause SLE.

 I have heard that hair dyes may trigger flares in lupus. Does this mean I should stop dying my hair?

Hair dyes have shown in studies that there is an association with lupus symptoms.  But studies have shown no evidence or association with lupus that has been reported.  Most physicians feel that hair dye is not risky for people with lupus.

 Can lupus cause memory problems?

50% of the patients at some point describe feelings of fatigue, confusion, difficulty expressing their thoughts, and memory impairment.  These are called cognitive dysfunction and it is found in people with mild and moderately active SLE.

Causes  

The exact cause of the disease is unknown as well they do not know if it is a single condition or a group of related diseases.  SLE is a chronic inflammatory disease which is believed to be a type III hypersensitivity response with a type II involvement.  This is characterized by the bodies production of antibodies against the nuclear components of its own cells.  Lupus can develop through genetic predisposition, environmental triggers and drug reaction meaning drug induced lupus.

Genetics

Research shows that SLE may have a genetic mechanism.  Lupus does run in families, multiple genes appear and influence a person’s chance of lupus developing when triggering environmental factors.  Chromosome 6 is the most important gene where the mutations occur randomly or may be inherited.  People with SLE have an altered RUNX-1 binding site that may cause or be a contributor to the condition.

Environmental triggers    

The following factors my exacerbate the existing lupus conditions and also trigger the initial onset.  Which can include medications, extreme stress, exposure to the sun, infections, and hormones.  UV Radiation has shown to trigger the photosensitive lupus rash, but evidence suggest that UV light is capable of altering the structure of the DNA.  The creation of autoantibodies are then said to develop. 

Drug reactions    

Patients being treated for long term illness are said to have drug induced lupus erythematosus.  This mimics SLE but symptoms of drug induced lupus generally disappear once a patient is taken off their medications and is said to trigger the episode.  400 medications are currently said to cause a condition.

Non-SLE forms of lupus

Discoid Lupus is limited to the skin and its symptoms have been diagnosed with a biopsy of the skin rash on the face, neck or scalp.  10% of Discoid lupus patients will develop SLE.

Pathophysiology  

Pathophysiology of lupus is the disturbance of the normal functioning of the body.  Abnormalities tend to manifest once lupus is present.   Cell death occurs in aging or damaged cells and are neatly diposed of part of the normal growth or functioning.

CAUSES:  

·        Intection:  a viral or bacterial infection may trigger SLE, lupus is linked to recurrent infections with the Epstein-Barr Virus.

·        Medications:  Drug-induced Lupus results from long-term use of certain prescription drugs include the following: Highblood pressure medications, antiphyschotic, tuberculosis drug, heart medications, beta blockers have been associated with lupus, arthritic drugs and ulcer related medications.  Several years usually go by before symptoms appear and only a small percentage of people will ever develop lupus.  DIL affects more men than women, because more men develop chronic conditions that require long-term treatment.

·        Sunlight:  Lupus can be affected by exposure to the sunlight which can trigger an internal response where people are susceptible to.  UV radiation has this effect is not well understood but scientists suspect that sunlight may cause skin cells to express certain proteins on the surface.  Which can initiate an inflammatory response, damaged skin cells in people with lupus seem to die more frequently which can lead to inflammation.

·        Hormones:  Women have SLE more then men so researchers think that the female hormone estrogen plays a role with the disease.  Symptoms become worse during menstruation, pregnancy, and birth control pills or even hormone therapy.