Dubai: The Ministry of Health and Prevention has warned residents to take caution with breast silicone implants after a recent US study revealed that it can lead to fatal complications.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a study earlier this month, which revealed the results from an updated analysis of reported cases of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).
BIA-ALCL is a type of lymphoma and is not a cancer of the breast tissue.
The research suggested that, as of September 2018, 457 women in the US were affected by this disease, with nine related deaths.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health and Community Protection (MoHAP) warned against the use of silicone breast implants and the possibility of complications that can lead to death.
According to Administrative Circular No. 2501 issued by the the ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing, Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, the ministry called on all health care practitioners to inform patients of the risks involved when they decide to insert breast implants.
The ministry also called on health care practitioners to collect fresh seroma fluid from patients with implants, in order to exclude the disease.
“In 2011, the FDA was the first public health agency in the world to communicate about the risks of BIA-ALCL, warning women that the available information at the time indicated that there is a risk for women with breast implants for developing this disease,” said Binita Ashar, MD, general surgeon and the director of the Division of Surgical Devices at the FDA’s Centre for Devices and Radiological Health, in a FDA press release.
The UAE ministry further recommended that all health care practitioners take precautions when using breast implants and to carry out follow-ups with their patients in the event of any side effects.
