After a blocked artery is treated with angioplasty to restore blood flow, the artery may become blocked again. This is called restenosis. One way to prevent restenosis is to place a stent inside the artery at the spot where the blockage was cleared by angioplasty. A stent is a tiny, metal mesh tube that is placed with a catheter and permanently embedded within the artery wall to prop open and prevent it from collapsing.
Associations between Agent Orange and other dioxin-contaminated herbicides and structural birth defects like spina bifida, oral clefts, heart defects and hypospadias may be just the âtip of the icebergâ.
Dioxin is also a known carcinogen. According to the VA, there are several diseases associated specifically with Agent Orange exposure, including Hodgkin's disease, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and type 2 diabetes. Agent Orange also causes a neurological disorder known as acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy. Agent Orange has recently been linked to an elevated risk for Parkinson's, another neurological disorder. Symptoms and effects of Agent Orange exposure may take months or even years to appear.