Agent Orange and Peripheral Neuropathy

Clinical Presentation

The American Society of Clinical Oncology notes that sensory loss in a "glove and stocking" distribution affecting hands and feet is a common manifestation of Agent Orange-induced peripheral neuropathy, characterized by impaired perception of light touch, vibration sense, and proprioception in patients with high-level exposures to dioxin 1, 2
Bilateral and symmetrical sensory disorders are also observed in patients with Agent Orange-induced peripheral neuropathy, with a length-dependent axonal neuropathy pattern, although the exact mechanism is not fully understood 3, 4
The European Hematology Association reports that the neuropathy typically presents as a predominant sensory axonal neuropathy with the feet affected more than the hands, resulting in numbness and other sensory deficits in patients exposed to Agent Orange 5

The American College of Medical Toxicology suggests that co-exposure to other neurotoxic agents and pre-existing conditions, such as concurrent alcohol abuse, renal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, vitamin deficiency, HIV infection, and autoimmune rheumatologic conditions, can amplify the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy in patients with high-level dioxin exposure 6, 7