? ?
WORLD / Health
Breast implants linked with suicide
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-08-09 10:30
WASHINGTON -- Women who get cosmetic breast implants are nearly three
times as likely to commit suicide as other women, US researchers reported
on Wednesday.
The study, published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery, reinforces several
others that have shown women who have breast enlargements have higher
suicide risks.
Loren Lipworth of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee
and colleagues followed up on 3,527 Swedish women who had cosmetic breast
implant surgery between 1965 and 1993. They looked at death certificates
to analyze causes of death among women with breast implants.
Only 24 of the women had committed suicide after an average of 19 years,
but this worked out to triple the risk compared to the average
population, they reported. Doctors who perform cosmetic breast surgery
may want to monitor patients closely or screen them for suicide risk,
Lipworth said.
"The increased risk of suicide was not apparent until 10 years after
implantation," the researchers wrote.
Lipworth said she believes that some women who get implants may have
psychiatric problems to start with, perhaps linked with lower self-esteem
or body image disorders.
"I think we don't even know how big of a problem it is because we cannot
even pinpoint what proportion of women have psychiatric disorders,"
Lipworth said in a telephone interview.
"There could be a whole lot of different disorders."
Women with breast implants also had a tripled risk of death from alcohol
and drug use.
"Thus, at least 38 deaths (22 percent of all deaths) in this implant
cohort were associated with suicide, psychological disorders and/or drug
and alcohol abuse/dependence," the researchers wrote.
NO RISE IN CANCER DEATH RISK
They found no increase in the risk of death from cancer, including breast
cancer. Women with implants were more likely to die from lung cancer and
respiratory diseases, such as emphysema, but this is probably because
they were more likely to smoke, the researchers said.
Last year, Canadian scientists also found a higher risk of suicide among
women who got breast implants, although they had lower rates of other
diseases, including cancer.
In November, the US Food and Drug Administration okayed the sale of
silicone breast implants for the first time in 14 years, after years of
hearings on their safety.
The FDA said independent research over the past decade has found no
convincing evidence that breast implants were associated with connective
tissue diseases or cancer.
While silicone implants were banned, women could only use saline-filled
breast implants. Plastic surgeons say women prefer the silicone ones, and
Lipworth said most of the women in her study had silicone implants.
In 2006, 383,886 US women had breast augmentation, according to the
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. It was the second-most
common surgical cosmetic procedure, after liposuction.
Top World News ?
* Clinton extending lead over Obama: poll
* Roadside bombs kill 4 US troops in Iraq
* Georgia says it was bombed by Russian jets
* Bush says US, Pakistan to track al-Qaida
* Taliban warn of more kidnappings
Today's Top News ?
* China invites the world to 2008 Olympic gala party
* Income disparity getting worse: Report
* Govt pours $1b on drug, food safety
* Rain cripples New York City transit
* Two Koreas to hold summit this month
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese, Free Chinese Lesson, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment