What increase in Sjogren's syndrome was cited for women with implants?

Robert Whitfield MDAmerica's Breast Implant Illness Expert™

Sjogren's Syndrome: The Hidden Risk of Implants Revealed!

7 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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A short interview clip (YouTube) in which an interviewer cites a reported 800% increase in Sjogren's syndrome among women with implants and asks Robert Whitfield MD to explain. Dr. Whitfield defines Sjogren's as an autoimmune disorder attacking moisture-producing glands (dry mouth, dry eyes) and frames it as a chronic inflammatory process. He explains a proposed link to implants: implants lack blood supply and are encapsulated by scar tissue, allowing bacteria or inflammatory triggers introduced later in life (e.g., infections, dental procedures, skin cuts) to adhere to implants and interact with surrounding tissues, potentially contributing to autoimmune reactions.

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An 800% increase.

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So, Rob, researchers have found an 800% increase in Sjogren's syndrome in women with implants. Can you tell us a little bit about this syndrome and what it is exactly?
Sure. It's an autoimmune disorder where your body's attacking the moisture producing glands, so you'll get a dry mouth, dry eyes, things like that. So it's a wonderful example of what's going on with the chronic inflammatory process, like we mentioned previously. So the implants get placed and it's super rare that it would be a problem in the operating room because of the considerations given by the surgeons and the staff that cure the patient. So whether it's a hip, knee or breast implant, it's really uncommon to have a contamination at the point of placement of the device. So this usually happens over our lifetime. We may get a cold, we may have a cut on our skin that gets inflamed, we may get our teeth cleaned and the mouth is full of bacteria. So think of it like this way. Anything that gets in your bloodstream can attach to an implant. The implant has no blood supply. It's been walled off by your body in a scar capsule that your body weaves to protect you from the implant. So in Sjogren's, think of it like this. If there's bacteria on the surface of a breast implant and through the woven capsule, think of something that's not completely impervious but can interact with the tissues.