Swedish Study Flawed; Still Not...

Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 14:53:39 EST

Command Trust Network: Swedish Study Flawed; Still Not Able to Rule Out Link Between Silicone Breast Implants And Disease Dow Corning Funded Study Asks the Wrong Questions, Excludes Atypical Disease LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Command Trust Network, an information clearinghouse for women with breast implants, issued the following: A new study in today's British Medical Journal does not bring anything new to the debate over silicone breast implants. In examining silicone breast implants for a link to disease, Swedish researchers only included women who had been hospitalized for classical connective tissue diseases. Experts assert that any valuable study should include the atypical or rare diseases prevalent in implanted women. Following are flaws even the authors acknowledge: -- The study had limited power to detect the rare diseases most often associated with implants, like scleroderma. -- Only women hospitalized for classical connective tissue diseases were evaluated, thus any woman seen on an outpatient basis would be overlooked. "This is still one more study driven by the manufacturers, in hopes of absolving their wretched silicone breast implants," says Dr. Robert Garry of Tulane University. "Studies mustinclude atypical disease, otherwise the conclusions are moot," he adds. Women with atypical disease from silicone exposure show a unique set of symptoms, including chronic fatigue, debilitating joint pain and neurological problems. At one time, manufacturers disputed that implants leak, rupture, and spread silicone throughout the body.

However, it has been repeatedly proven that silicone implants leak silicone, that 95% of implants will rupture over time, and that silicone spreads through the body and has been found in key organs, including the liver and lymph nodes. "Silicone implants have never been proven safe. Flawed studies like this one are no challenge to the growing body of evidence that shows implants are anything but safe," says Sybil Niden Goldrich, co-founder of Command Trust Network. The study was funded by Dow Corning. "This is typical of biased corporate research," said Goldrich. "Dow funds studies to look only at classical disease, and not the bigger problem of atypical disease.

This is part of Dow's corporate funding campaign to create results that don't reflect the true medical problems from silicone," she said. SOURCE Command Trust Network, Inc. CO: Command Trust Network, Inc.; Dow Corning ST: California, Michigan IN: MTC CHM SU: 02/06/98 14:50 EST http://www.prnewswire.com To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles. For all of today's news, go to keyword News