# Crohn's Disease due to Agent Orange exposure



## My Poor Dad (May 13, 2011)

Hey everyone, I'm here for my dad.  My dad was stationed in Vietnam and has no doubt that he was exposed to high doses of Agent Orange.  About 10 years ago he developed Crohn's Disease and has had all kinds of trouble since then.  He feels that it's because of the Agent Orange although I'm not so sure.  Does anyone know if there has been any correlation between the two?


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## xJillx (May 13, 2011)

Hi and welcome!  I am sorry about your father's struggle with his Crohn's.  I have never heard of a correlation, but I'd be interested to hear what others may have to say.


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## Molechaser (May 13, 2011)

Hi!  I'm also sorry to hear about your dad.  I've been living with Crohn's disease for 13 years, and it's no fun.

I'm also not aware of any study specifically examining any correlation between Agent Orange exposure and Crohn's disease.  But there was an article in the American Journal of Gastroenterology in 1998 that studied the epidemiology of Crohn's disease among veterans, which might shed some light on the question.  You can see an abstract of the article at Pubmed by searching for '"Agent Orange" AND Crohn's disease' (sorry, the forums won't allow me to link directly to the article or even give the URL).  It found that Crohn's was more common among female veterans than among male veterans and less common among veterans who served in Vietnam than among those who did not serve in Vietnam.  The study also showed much lower rates of Crohn's among those who were prisoners of war in Vietnam than among those who merely served in-country.

While there was no explicit study of Agent Orange exposure, these numbers seem to suggest a lack of a link between exposure and Crohn's disease.  If Agent Orange were causative, you'd expect men to have Crohn's disease more often (since in the Agent Orange era, women were not often stationed in the areas where the defoliant was being used).  You'd also expect people who spent more time in Vietnam to have more Crohn's disease than people who spent less time in the country.  But the study shows lower rates of Crohn's disease among a group the more time the group spent in Vietnam.

I hasten to add that this is only one study, and any information it gives us about Agent Orange is second-hand (because the issue wasn't studied directly).  It may well be that Agent Orange plays some role in at least some cases of Crohn's disease.  For all we know about treating Crohn's disease, we really don't know very much about what causes it.  I wish you the best of luck in tracking down the information you need to put your father's mind at ease one way or the other.


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## vickyhunter (May 13, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your dad! how interesting though! Agent orange can cause genetic diseases, and since Crohn's is a genetic disease it's probable.

My dad is convinced that the upsurge in immunological diseases is caused by Chernobyl -me and my family went to a Crohn's meeting when I was younger and they showed a graph of the occurrence of Crohn's and other immune diseases and there's an upsurge after 1987 (also, there's still radiation clouds over places in the world!). It's scary how things like that could have affected so many people.
I would definitely not rule out agent orange!
Molechaser makes really good points, but it could also affect babies born after the vietnam war...male or female? as if women were more affected then this would mean there would be an even greater chance of that next generation being affected.


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## DustyKat (May 13, 2011)

Hi ands :welcome:

I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad.... 



> Conversely the anti-infective and antiinflammatory properties of malarial drugs have been suggested as playing a role in lower rates of Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory intestinal disease) amongst Vietnam veterans


This is an extract from an article from our Veterans Affairs Department. I guess it would be difficult to make a link if, on the one hand Agent Orange does have the ability to cause Crohns but on the other hand the men on the front were taking drugs that can potentially throw you into remission if you did contract it or perhaps inhibit it's formation in the first place. 

Good luck, I hope your Dad can find the answers he seeks.

Take care, :hug:
Dusty. xxx


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## JennVelzy (Jun 3, 2011)

*A child of a Nam Vet with crohns*

I am living with crohn's and my dad suffers from several of the illness list of disease though to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange. Not only do I have crohns but my young sister (only sis who shares the same father) has been diagnosed with Lupus. I often wonder if the rise in auto immune disease is caused by agent orange exposure. I just want some answers to ALL the why's I have. Sorry your Dad is sick crohns is so rough on a person in MANY ways for MANY reasons!!!


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## RogerG (Aug 18, 2011)

Hello Everyone

I am also very sorry about you dad.  I wish both of you the best.

FYI-below is my experience and what I know about Agent Orange.

Agent Orange was a mixture of two compounds, 2-4-D and 2-4-5-T.  2-4-5-T, synthesized prior to 1970, was contaminated with 2-3-7-8-T which is very toxic to humans.  2-4-5-T was banned in food production, with the exception of rice, long before 1970.  To the best of my recollection, it was used in US rice production and as a broad leaf killer until the early eighties.  2-4-5-T was taken off the US market due to a by product (a form of dioxin) in the manufacturing process.  It is still used in many parts of the world.

I sprayed, by hand, a lot of 2-4-5-T, during the summers of 1968 and 1969 while working for the Rice Branch Experiment Station, located outside of Stuttgart, Arkansas.  I am the first one in my family to have Crohn's.  I have had cancer, eye problems, and kidney problems.  The type cancer I had runs in my family.  The other problems do not.

There was nothing special about Agent Orange.  The components were (are) both commonly used in agriculture.  They were often combined (Agent Orange) to offer a broader spectrum.  Both chemicals were (are) inexpensive and very effective.  2-4-D is still commonly used.

Nobody wore protective gear when we applied the chemical(s) including the scientists, administrators, etc.  I am not trying to place blame on my employer (Government).  I am curious if the manufactures had knowledge of the problems.  I am also interested in your comments as to any problem(s) any of you, that were exposed to 2-4-5-T or Agent Orange  prior to 1970, may have experienced. 

Thank you very much and good luck.

RogerG


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## PurdueGirl94 (Feb 22, 2013)

Dear MyPoorDad,
My dad is a retired LTC with ulcerative colitis (Vietnam '68/'69).  We are just starting the VA disability claims process which has been unfriendly, at best.

The VA web site has a report (can't locate it at this moment but will!) where they are reviewed health conditions for changes to disability compensation rates; both Crohn's and UC are among the list.  There should be an answer to those changed pay rates soon (promise.. I'll find that report!)

Separately, what I find interesting about this thread is the discussion of agent orange and the various GI diseases.  Right now, there is a group looking at those service members with prostate cancer (now on the agent orange list) and the possible impact on their children.  

I'll keep you up to date on the support of my father.  I'm his agent.
Warmest Regards,
PurdueGirl


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## mf15 (Oct 3, 2016)

Thought I would chime in on this old thread.
The govt admitted a few years back that there were using 
agent orange in Korea on the DMZ, well I was there in 1971 in/on the DMZ
during the time period covered by the govt.
Yet still today IBD is not a disease associated with agent orange exposure.
Would be interesting to know if people with IBD today if their parents
were exposed.
May have nothing do to with IBD, but who knows.
Old Mike


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