The Department of Veteran’s Affairs recently published an update on their research into links between Agent Orange and Parkinson Disease. Dr. Irene Malaty, director of UF’s National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence, discussed this update with NPR.
The most recent update, Malaty added, changed the criteria to treat Parkinson’s disease caused by Agent Orange from “inadequate or insufficient evidence” to “limited or suggested evidence.”
“In other words, it’s not 100 percent,” she said. “But there is some suggested evidence that would be related.”
With the department’s decision to make Parkinson’s disease presumptive, if someone was exposed to Agent Orange, he or she could create a type of connection, Malaty said.
Treatment is available for patients looking for help, she added.