Clinical and laboratory features of patients with scleroderma and silicone implants

We reviewed the available clinical and laboratory data from 56 patients with scleroderma and silicone implants from the English medical literature and 19 cases which have not been previously reported. The average age of onset of scleroderma was 43.6 +/- 10 years (range 20-73). Patients had silicone implants for an average of 9 +/- 4 years prior to the development of scleroderma (range 1-32). Most patients had limited scleroderma (41%). Twenty three percent had intermediate scleroderma and 36% had diffuse scleroderma. Clinical findings included: Raynaud's phenomenon in 77%, esophageal dysfunction in 53%, and pulmonary involvement in 47%. Cardiac and renal involvement were uncommon. Antinuclear antibodies by immunofluorescence were found in 83 percent of patients. The immunofluorescence pattern was speckled in 53%, centromere in 31% and nucleolar in 9%. Other antibodies (Scl-70, RNP, SSA/Ro, PM-Scl) were found in only a small proportion of patients. A clinical, serologic and immunogenetic comparison of patients with silicone implants and scleroderma and patients with idiopathic scleroderma is needed to better understand the pathogenesis of this disorder.