HC Deb 28 January 2003 vol 398 c800W
Ms Munn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has considered on the risks of body piercing to people with congenital heart disease. [92519]

Ms Blears

We are not aware of any research into the risks of body piercing for individuals with congenital heart disease, although there have been a small number of published case reports from abroad of endocarditis in individuals with congenital heart disease following skin piercing.

There has been a small study in the United States, which investigated ear piercing and tattooing in patients with congenital heart disease'. In this study, no patients experienced serious infections following ear-piercing or tattooing, although about a quarter of patients experienced minor local skin infections following ear piercing.

1 Cetta F., Graham L. C., Lichtenberg R. C., Warnes C. A. Piercing and tattooing in patients with congenital heart disease: patient and physician perspectives. Journal of Adolescent Health 1999: 24: 160–162.