Women who have breast implants might not have a higher mortality rate, but they have a higher risk of dying from suicide according to new research findings. In this by the Canadian Public Health Agency and Cancer Care Ontario which reviewed 24,600 women observed that having breast implants is not a cause of increased mortality. Nevertheless they observed that suicide rate among women with breast implants is 73% higher than in the general population. These study findings are published these findings in a recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Reserchers Universit Laval's Jacques Brisson and Louis Latulippe and their colleagues collected data on 17,400 women from the province of Quebec and 7,200 from Ontario who had received breast implants for cosmetic purposes between 1974 and 1989. These women, who had undergone the surgery at an average age of 32, were followed regularly during a 15-year period. The researchers found that a total of 480 women with breast implants died during that period, comparable to the mortality rate of the general population.

Researchers found mortality rate in women with breast implant to be 26% lower than in the control group. Fewer deaths occurred from breast cancer and heart occurred in this group. The researchers say that this lower mortality rate is not the result of the breast augmentation procedure itself, but rather of a double selection bias. "First, a woman must be in relatively good health to undergo breast implant surgery," points out Dr. Brisson. "Also, women who receive breast implants tend to be of higher-than-average socioeconomic status. Thus, women who undergo breast augmentation surgery are more likely to be in better health than the general population".

To put this explanation to the test and decreased mortality rate among women with breast implants, researchers analyzed a group of 16,000 women who had undergone plastic surgery procedures other than breast augmentation. As in the breast implant group, the mortality rate was lower (32%) and the suicide rate higher (55%) than in the general population.

Typically typically typically prior studies have found that the psychological profile of women who receive breast implants is characterized by low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and more frequent mental illnesses such as depression and this might explain the higher incidence of suicide rate in women with breast implants. As per Dr. Brisson, sound medical practice should encourage surgeons to pay particular attention to the reasons why women want to undergo breast augmentation. "If this reveals problems that cannot be treated with plastic surgery, doctors should refer these patients to mental health professionals," he adds.


Posted by: Jessica    Source

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