If you or a loved one were diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease after being exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, you may be entitled to recover compensation from a Camp Lejeune Parkinson’s Disease lawsuit case or settlement claim.
A team of personal injury lawyers and class action attorneys is investigating potential Camp Lejeune lawsuit cases and settlement claims of individuals who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
Parkinson’s disease (or Parkinson’s) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system in which dopamine-producing (dopaminergic) neurons in the substantia nigra area of the brain (that control coordination and movement or motor function) stop working or die.
According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, estimates suggest that Parkinson’s affects nearly a million people in the United States. In addition, researchers estimate that 60,000 new Parkinson’s cases will be diagnosed each year in the United States.
Camp Lejeune Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuit Claims
Camp Lejeune Parkinson’s disease lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include claims of marines, their family and other individuals who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, including:
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Idiopathic or primary parkinsonism
- Hypokinetic rigid syndrome
- Paralysis agitans
- Shaking palsy
- Other Camp Lejeune injury claims
Parksinon’s Disease Injury Cases & Camp Lejeune
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), people exposed occupationally or environmentally to the chemicals detected in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune may be at an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
For example, ASTDR explained that TCE (one of the toxic compounds found at Camp Lejeune) is a mitochondrial neurotoxin in animal studies and mitochondrial dysfunctions in substantia nigra dopamine neurons is consistent with human pathological staging of Parkinson’s.
Furthermore, a Committee from the Institute of Medicine who was asked by the Veterans Administration (VA) to review certain medical conditions, concluded that consumption of contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune may be linked to neurobehavioral effects such as Parkinsons:
[T]he committee finds that TCE and similar solvents may have potential etiologic relevance in the development of Parkinson’s disease. The committee concludes that Parkinson’s disease is a neurobehavioral effect that may have resulted from the consumption of the contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. This conclusion is based on the positive trends of increased risks from occupational and drinking water exposures reported by Goldman et al. (2012), NRC (2009), and Bove et al. (2014b).
Committee on the Review of Clinical Guidance for the Care of Health Conditions Identified by the Camp Lejeune Legislation; Board on the Health of Select Populations; Institute of Medicine.Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Mar 26.
Furthermore, in a study that compared Camp Lejeune workers (who may have been exposed to contaminated water) to Camp Pendleton workers (who were not exposed to contaminated water), researchers found that the Camp Lejeune workers had higher mortality rates for Parkinson’s disease as a cause of death.
Parkinson’s Disease Signs & Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can potentially include:
- Muscle stiffness (rigidity)
- Slow movements (bradykinesia)
- Slow walking
- Decreased arm swinging when walking
- Parkinsonian gait
- Decreased blinking
- Decreased facial expression
- Resting tremors
- Involuntary shaking
- Postural instability
- Difficulty with balance and coordination
- Other motor symptoms
- Constipation
- Low blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension)
- Decreased libido or sex drive or erectile dysfunction
- Excessive sweating
- Frequent urination
- Lack of control over urination (incontinence)
- Weak urine stream
- Drooling
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Sleep problems
- Loss of sense of smell
- Speech problems
- Vision problems
- Difficulty swallowing
- Weight loss
- Apathy
- Memory problems
- Unable to concentrate
- Cognitive impairment
- Dementia
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Psychosis
- Other Parkinson’s symptoms
Procedures and tests used by doctors (such as neurologists) to diagnose Parkinson’s can include a physical exam, medical history, rating scales (such as Hoehn and Yahr scale and Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale UPDRS), imaging scans (single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scan called a dopamine transporter (DAT), and lab tests, among others.
Parkinson’s Disease Treatment
As there presently is no known cure for Parkinson’s or treatments that can slow the progression of the disease, Parkinson’s disease treatments typically involve managing symptoms of the disease, including the use of medications (to increase or promote dopamine levels, to mimic dopamine effects in the brain, to prevent the breaking down of dopamine, to control tremurs), surgery (e.g., lesion surgery to burn tissue in the brain controlling movement), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neural grafting or tissue transplants, among other
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease after being exposed to water at Camp Lejeune, you may be entitled to compensation from a Camp Lejeune Parkinson’s Disease lawsuit or settlement. Contact an injury lawyer to request a free case review.
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