Breast implant illness: a step forward in understanding this complex entity and the impact of social media

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences Volume 6 | Issue 2 Article 24 2019 Breast implant illness: a step forward in understanding this complex entity and the impact of social media Răzvan Danciu Cristina N. Marina Valeriu Ardeleanu Romeo Marin Răzvan V. Scăunașu See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms Part of the Mental and Social Health Commons, Plastic Surgery Commons, and the Surgery Commons Recommended Citation Danciu, Răzvan; Marina, Cristina N.; Ardeleanu, Valeriu; Marin, Romeo; Scăunașu, Răzvan V.; and Răducu, Laura (2019) "Breast implant illness: a step forward in understanding this complex entity and the impact of social media," Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: Vol. 6 : Iss. 2 , Article 24. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P351355 Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/24 This Case Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at . Breast implant illness: a step forward in understanding this complex entity and the impact of social media Authors Răzvan Danciu, Cristina N. Marina, Valeriu Ardeleanu, Romeo Marin, Răzvan V. Scăunașu, and Laura Răducu This case presentation is available in Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences: https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/vol6/iss2/24 https://scholar.valpo.edu/jmms/ https://proscholar.org/jmms/ ISSN: 2392-7674 J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 351-355 doi: 10.22543/7674.62.P351355 Received for publication: April 21, 2019 Accepted: December August 23, 2019 Case report Breast implant illness: a step forward in understanding this complex entity and the impact of social media Răzvan Danciu1, Cristina N. Marina1,2, Valeriu Ardeleanu3,4, Romeo Marin1, RăzvanValentin Scăunașu1, Laura Răducu1,2 1 Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu Clinical Emergency Hospital, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest, Romania; 2Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania; 3 CFR General Hospital Galati, Romania; 4Arestetic Clinic of Galati, Romania; 5Ovidius University of Constanta, Faculty of Medicine, Constanța, Romania; 6Dunărea de Jos University of Galati, Romania Abstract Introduction. The number of implant-related complaints is constantly rising, a phenomenon probably accentuated by the extensive use of social media by patients. Material and method. A group of signs and symptoms considered to be caused by mammary implants is known as “Breast Implant Illness”. This paper analyzes the increased number of posts by patients on social media in which they describe their symptoms, their disappointment with the decision of using breast implants, and the beneficial effects of explantation. The case of a patient with breast implants who visited our clinic is reported here. The patient complained of two palpable masses, located in the left axilla and in the superolateral quadrant of the left breast. The pathophysiological mechanism by which lymphadenopathy occurred after a long period of time remains uncertain. Discussion. A review of the literature was conducted to identify the underlying causes of implant-related complaints, allowing evaluation of the presence of local complications, cancer with large anaplastic cells, and autoimmune diseases. The possibility of a somatization effect has also been considered. Conclusions. Plastic surgeons must remain the best source of information, taking on the role of educating the patient in order to better understand this condition. Keywords  Highlights ✓ Although social media has positive effects in that it can highlight seldom-discussed issues, the doctor must ultimately validate individual concerns and educate patients to better understand their situation. Breast implant illness, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, social media ✓ Although the relationship between silicone implants and various systemic disorders is becoming clearer, establishment of global registers to collect data could assist in understanding this relationship better. To cite this article: Danciu R, Marina CN, Ardeleanu V, Marin R, Scăunașu RV, Răducu L. Breast implant illness: a step forward in understanding this complex entity and the impact of social media. J Mind Med Sci. 2019; 6(2): 351-355. DOI: 10.22543/7674.62.P351355 *Corresponding author: Cristina Nicoleta Marina, Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu Clinical Emergency Hospital, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Bucharest, Romania Mail: Răzvan Danciu et al. Introduction The frequency of surgical procedures requiring implants has been steadily increasing over the past years, currently estimated at about 10 million women who have undergone breast implant surgery. Of these, about 75% involved cosmetic enhancements and 25% involved reconstruction after mastectomy (1, 2). Breast implantation has raised many controversies since its initial use. Numerous side effects have been attributed to implants, which can be classified into 3 major groups: systemic illnesses that include connective tissue diseases or neoplasia, non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, and pain and local complications of the implant insertion such as capsular contracture, implant rupture, or infection (3). Breast Implant Illness Breast Implant Illness is a term used to describe a group of symptoms and signs presumably caused by implants (4). In 1998, Tugwell conducted a comprehensive study examining all the symptoms described by women with mammary implants, and he noted that these symptoms do not significantly differ from women without implants (5). Although there is no known pathophysiological explanation for the many patient complaints and there is no specific diagnostic test, the number of women who request explantation surgery is increasing. This phenomenon is probably augmented by the large number of women who express opinions regarding their breast implant experiences on social networks. It is, however, difficult to quantify these symptoms due to their highly subjective nature. In most cases, physical examination performed by the physician does not reveal any clear basis for the complaints. More than 50,000 women report a range of symptoms referred to as "breast implant illness" on Facebook pages like Breast Implant Illness and Healing by Nicole. This group has more than 90,000 members (being female represents one of the conditions in order to be accepted), and their number is growing weekly by about 1,000 members. About 315 new posts related to breast disorders are posted daily. Other examples of such pages are Breast Implant Illness Healing Warriors (more than 5,000 members) and Breast Implant Illness Support Group (more than 3,000 followers). When more than 450 posts and related comments were reviewed, 186 (41.33%) described common symptoms like fatigue, chronic pain, rash, xer (...truncated)