Two women with breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) say their condition was caused by Allergan textured breast implants.

The two plaintiffs, known simply as A.B. and C.D. to protect their true identities, filed their legal case in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The plaintiffs seek to bring their claims as a class action, representing other women who developed the same disease after being implanted with Allergan textured breast implants.

Plaintiffs’ Stories

Both of the plaintiffs have similar allegations against the named defendant. Complainant A.B. says she was implanted with a set of Allergan textured breast implants known as Natrelle 410 Style 410MM in April 2018.

Within less than a year, A.B. says they started to cause her problems. This patient says she has symptoms of breast implant illness, including swollen lymph nodes, underarm swelling, and breast pain.

Complainant C.D. alleges she had reconstructive surgery following a battle with breast cancer and was implanted with the same product or similar silicone-filled product. This patient says she is currently experiencing symptoms of BIA-ALCL, including hardening of the breast around the implant, and swelling in the upper abdomen under the breast.

Since these breast implants were all on a recall list from Allergan, the women say the company should pay for all costs of removing the offending device from their bodies. However, the defendant has refused to do so. This means the patients—who say they would have made another choice had they known these products could potentially cause these problems—will have to pay for all “clean up costs” of accepting the device into their bodies — unless this lawsuit is successful.

The Defendants Alleged Attempt to Conceal

The plaintiffs allege that 84 percent of 573 cases of BIA-ALCL have been connected to Allergan silicone-based products the company is actively recalling. There have reportedly been 33 deaths from this disease and a full dozen have succumbed to the illness because of Allergan’s Biocell implants.

What is BIA-ALCL?

As indicated by Oncology Nursing News.com, BIA-ALCL is a relatively rare type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma specifically connected to women with breast implants and more commonly occurring in those with textured breast implants. It was first identified two decades ago and its symptoms are most often noted as brain fog, unexplained fever, random joint pain, and chronic weakness or fatigue.

Are There Other Problems With Which Breast Implants are Associated?

The National Women’s Health Network has noted reports from women regarding health issues associated with silicone-based breast implants.

Thousands of women have reported breast implant illnesses. Many link the development of autoimmune diseases in which the body treats itself, the implants, or both as foreign bodies and attacks them with their breast implants. Autoimmune diseases include lupus and rheumatoid arthritis to name a couple.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.