Breast implant illness (also known as BII), is a relatively new diagnosis. Breast implants themselves are a relatively new surgery which means side effects and injuries are not well known.
However, a surgeon shouldn’t follow through with an operation if they are not qualified in this area of medicine. If you suspect a medical professional of negligence please contact a lawyer on Trulaw.com to help you receive the compensation you deserve.
What Is A Breast Implant Illness?
Breast Implant Illness is a catch-all term for any symptom or side effect caused by breast implants. Because this surgery is relatively new and very little research has been put into this field, BII isn’t currently considered an official diagnosis.
This may change in the future, as more doctors and researchers study the phenomenon.
Because there isn’t an official diagnosis, you may see Breast Implant Illness described in other terms. For example, Autoimmune Syndrome Induced By Adjuvants, Breast Implant Disease, and Silicone Implant Illness are common alternatives.
All of these names are referring to the body rejecting the breast implant. The immune system recognizes a foreign object in the body and so tries to kill or remove it.
Some people are affected by BII soon after their surgery, others will not have an issue for years.
The Symptoms Of A Breast Implant Illness
The research into BII is minimal, which means the current list of symptoms may not be caused by the condition itself. Instead, it could be side effects from the condition or a mixture of illness and other medical diagnoses that patients have in common with each other.
To help you understand if you have BII, we will label all known symptoms – but be aware that you don’t need every symptom to receive this diagnosis.
Overall, you can expect an impact on your muscles, your ability to think, and may see changes to your overall body.
Musculoskeletal Symptoms:
- Myopathy – Weakness in the muscles. This could be around the area or in other parts of your body.
- Muscle Pain – Again, this could be around the area or other parts of your body.
- Joint Pain – As before, this could be around the area or other parts of your body.
Cognitive Symptoms:
- Lack of focus or ability to concentrate.
- Memory Loss
- Anxiety
- Depression
- “Brain Fog” – Feeling confused, or thinking slowly.
- Fatigue or Sleepiness
Systemic Symptoms:
- Chronic Pain
- Hair Loss
- Dry Eyes
- Rashes
- Impaired Vision
How Likely Is A Breast Implant Illness?
Because BII has not been researched in detail, we cannot say for sure how common or likely the illness is.
However, every year around 400,000 people in the US have breast implant surgery, and between 2018 and 2019 the FDA received reports of 2,497 cases of BII.
Although this suggests that a breast implant patient has a 0.006% chance of developing the illness, we cannot confirm this data. BII is not considered an official diagnosis which means many patients will be missed from the reports above.
Until an official diagnosis has been created, we cannot know how common this disease is.
What Causes Breast Implant Illnesses?
Again, a lack of research prevents us from getting the full story. However, there have been some papers created around this issue. Those studying the condition believe three issues can cause the disease.
They are an inflammatory or autoimmune reaction to the foreign implants, bacteria growing from infection to the area, or a reaction to the surgery itself.
As we said before, medical negligence can also be the cause of this disease. Failure to keep the surgery clean, ignoring previous reactions in your medical record, or even failing to mention the side effects of a breast implant can all fit into the concept of medical negligence.
How To Treat A Breast Implant Illness?
The most common form of treatment for BII is removing the implanted breast.
In the surgery, they will make an incision under the fold of your breast or around the nipple. They will then remove the implant and close the wound using either stitching, adhesive, or tape.
Although many people say their symptoms decrease after the implant removal, not everyone has the same experience.
More research will be needed to understand how other treatments can help.
Summary
The main symptoms of Breast Implant Illness are muscle pain and weakness, mood changes and fatigue, and hair loss and rashes.
These symptoms are signs that your body is trying to fight the foreign object in your body – the breast implants.
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