Federal regulators from the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have warned about breast implant packaging, saying manufacturers should sell the devices only to health providers who review the potential risks with patients before surgery. Both the warnings and a new checklist that advises patients of the risks and side effects stated that breast implants have been linked to a cancer of the immune system and to a host of other chronic medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, joint pain, mental confusion, muscle aches and chronic fatigue.
Startlingly, the checklist identifies particular types of patients who are at higher risk for illness after breast implant surgery. The group includes breast cancer patients who have had, or plan to have, chemotherapy or radiation treatments, reported the ‘New York Times’. That represents a large percentage of women who until now were encouraged to have breast reconstruction with implants following their treatment.