Risk of connective tissue disorders among breast implant patients.

In a US retrospective cohort study (1960-1996), 351 (4.8%) of 7,234 patients with breast implants and 62 (2.9%) of 2,138 patients who had undergone other types of plastic surgery reported subsequent rheumatoid arthritis (RA), scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, or Sjögren's syndrome (relative risk = 2.