Silicone and autoimmunity

Eur J Clin Invest 2011; 41 (2): 203–211 Abstract Background  Since the 1960s, silicone implants have been successfully used for breast augmentation and reconstruction. However, safety issues regarding the use of silicone have led to a moratorium by the US Food and Drug Administration between 1992 and 2006. Design  To date, although the moratorium has been removed and women overwhelmingly prefer silicone over saline implants, local and systemic adverse effects still remain a concern. Results  Silicone‐elicited inflammatory fibro‐proliferative response and capsular contracture is irrefutable. Studies on silicone breast implants have not supported a relationship to carcinogenesis, whereas that to autoimmunity mainly to nondefined autoimmune phenomena seems very plausible. These silicone‐related autoimmune adverse events termed ‘siliconosis’ are probably limited to a small minority of implanted patients. Conclusions  Risk factors, such as characteristic environmental exposure and/or genetic predisposition, still require further elucidation. Similarly to antibacterial agents, texturized implants and Zafirlukast that were found to be beneficial in inhibiting fibro‐proliferative response and capsular contracture, elucidating autoimmune‐related risk factors might subsequently enable physicians to accurately predict long‐term health status of silicone implant recipients.