By RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 3 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Medical researchers say there may be a link between exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War and an increased chance of developing serious heart problems and Parkinson's disease.
A study from the Institute of Medicine released Friday contains several caveats, but suggests there is a stronger connection than previously thought about the health risks to Vietnam veterans.
The research was sponsored by the Veterans Affairs Department, which will decide what to do with the findings.
American forces sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange and other defoliants over parts of Vietnam from 1962 to 1970. Military authorities used the defoliants in an attempt to massively prune away the dense jungle cover used by North Vietnamese forces to hide.
American troops and others exposed to the chemicals later complained of numerous health problems, however, and researchers are still trying to determine the scope of the damage.
The Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academy of Sciences, is mandated by Congress to review every two years evidence about the effects of Agent Orange exposure.
To determine whether Vietnam veterans faced an increased chance of ischemic heart disease — a condition involving reduced blood supply to the heart — researchers reviewed several studies that showed links between higher exposure levels and greater incidence of the disease.
Other factors such as smoking, age, and weight can also play a role, they noted. Still, they said veterans exposed to the chemicals may be at greater risk.
The conclusion on Parkinson's was based on a review of 16 studies that looked at herbicide exposures among people with the disease or Parkinson's-like symptoms. But the study cautions the review was hindered by the lack of studies specifically investigating Parkinson's rates among Vietnam veterans.
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On the Net:
Veterans and Agent Orange: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record(underscore)id12662
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I have non-hodgkins lymphoma from agent Orange, and have suffered 19 heart attacks in the last four years. There have been studies done that indicate Agent Orange weakens the cell structure of arteries, which causes them to collapse. Not good thing! So the Va is taking me from 100% disabled to 0% because i am not receiving any treatments. Well, there are none, and the doctors tell me there IS no cure. It will just be a matter of time until the cancer comes back. Anyone else out there having tis problem with the VA? They don't acknowledge the heart disease being attributed to Agent Orange yet. I think they are stalling hoping we will all die off soon,letting them off the hook.
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Don, I am so very sorry to hear of your illness. I know many of the treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can actually make the situation worse, depending on the patient (i.e., if the immuno-suppressive nature of the meds creates an environment where the disease proliferates)... did you stop treatments because they would not cure you, or did the difficulties of your many heart attacks make it hard to sustain any treatment?
I wish you all the best, and hope you and others get the help you truly need.
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Hi Karen,
I have never had any treatments. The doctors say there are none. Chemo doesn't touch it, and a bone marrow transplant is about the only option, but that's 100 days in the hospital. I am more concerned about heart attack #20. They hurt! I am going in front of the VA hearing board the 11th of August to try and convince them not to take me off disability. I have had 127 doctors appointments in the four years since my first surgery, so I can't even get a real job anymore. Even the VA vocational rehabilitation service said "you are unemployable" Heck, I knew that!
The Institute for Health has now linked heart disease with Agent Orange, so maybe I will have some recourse there. We'll see!
Don
D.
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That is awful Don... I send you all the best wishes to help you with your case. Does the VA vocational rehabilitation service personnel actually write in your records that you are unemployable? I know people will say something they do not write officially in your records -- make sure you get them to actually record their assessment... and hopefully that will help.
I truly hope all will work out, though I know it is a long uphill climb made extra difficult by how bad your health is... it is so hard to do these things when you are unwell!
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The VA has added some diseases to its list of diseases presumed to be caused by Agent Orange exposure: Parkinson's disease, B cell leukemias, iischemic heart disease. If a Vietnam Vet applied for benefits based on the claim that Agent Orange caused him/her to suffer one of these diseases and was denied, there is a really good chance the claim would be approved now if they reapply. We can help: http://veterans-benefits-denial.com/.
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