1.   Patients were excluded if they had a systemic illness requiring treatment or were currently being treated with antiulcer agents.

2.   The benefits of such treatment may be the prevention of relapses of inflammatory bowel disease and the reduction of systemic illness during chronic relapses.

3.   But whether the implants cause autoimmune diseases is greatly disputed by the company, a stance supported by several studies showing no link between silicone and systemic illness.

4.   Dow Corning, supported by a growing body of research, has denied throughout the battle that implants cause systemic illness like autoimmune disorders.

5.   Overall, they said, he had a severe systemic illness that was worse than cases of cutaneous anthrax that had previously been described in textbooks and journals.