Rheumatoid Arthritis - PTSD and Agent Orange

[Marlenarae]

My 60 year old brother, who served in Viet Nam, was exposed to agent orange.  He has PTSD and rheumatoid arthritis.  I want to know if either PTSD or agent orange contribute to rheumatoid arthritis?

[txsilver]

Bless your brother for his service to our country.  According to the VA website, rheumatoid arthritis is not on the list of diseases associated with agent orange.  There are studies, however, linking PTSD and rheumatoid arthritis.  I googled post traumatic stress disorder and then searched within results for rheumatoid arthritis and found the result from nyam had exactly what I was searching for.  JA Boscarino is the author of the study that was done in 2004.

[Marlenarae]

Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to research this.  I do have the Joseph A Boscarino study that was published in 1/04, and another one dated 3/03 from the New York Academy of Medicine that is brief, but touches on the increase of autoimune diseases in Viet Nam veterans.  

Thank you again, tx.

Marlenarae

[txsilver]

I am glad the information was helpful.  If there is anything else we can do to help you or to help your brother please let me know.

[bobr0210]

I'm 62 yrs old may of this yr,Iwas in vietnam 1968 to 1969,I got discharged in 1973,In 1978 at the age of 31 I had a disease that attacked each of my joints,I was in the va hospital for 18 days,the end result was non explainable colected on the class action suit for exposure from agent orange, my records then an to this very day are sent to washington,I'm part of a study that is conducted by our government,till this day they can't tell me what I have, like most vets I believe this problem is related to those days in vietnam, I was in long haul ,64b20  transportation I've been disabled ever since.

[roshrom]

The VA has bulletin 3.309  pages 1-8 which lists diseasese and conditions the VA conders SC = Service connected,
3.309
They include Arthristis and Endocrinopathies, It does not specifiy the TYPE of Arthristis,
but RA ( Rheumatoid is MUCH more severe than most other forms of Arthristis, so please check this list.
The list also include psychosis,  so please google this to see if PTSD is not considered under this heading as well, since this is general list and does not break each category down.
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/agentorange.html#herbicide

www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/Herbicide/AOno3.htm

http://www.warms.vba.va.gov/21pamphlets.html

Hope this helps

[Agnese]

Hi bor2010- First I'd like to say thank you for serving our country. My boyfriend served as recon in the Marines from 1986-1994 and he still suffers from PTSD but he doesn't suffer from any autoimmune diseases.  He once told me during jungle training (or something like that) that it was important to protect agains insect bites since they carry so many diseases and can possibly cause death. I might be grasping at straws but Vietnam was the jungle...can it be that you were exposed to an insect bite that kicked your immune system into overdrive?  Has this ever been considered? GL.