This entry was in response to a question from Dennis Brondi: “Hi–I was exposed to Agent Orange and have primary APS (also single parent factor V Leiden). Do you know of any studies establishing causation between AO and APS? My issues have included avascular necrosis of both femoral heads and multiple large DVTs from the groin down. Thanks, Dennis.
Here’s my response: Hello, Dennis, thank you for your email. I’ve linked a 2025 article summarizing the research efforts to describe Agent Orange’s disorder associations. I found this after running a PubMed search using Agent Orange and Lupus Anticoagulant and found no articles on the subject. I conclude that no investigator has found a relationship between Agent Orange and antiphospholipid syndrome. Of course, you can’t prove a negative, so I won’t say conclusively there is no relationship. Meanwhile, I hope your condition improves and you enjoy improving health.
I also added a link to Dave McGlasson’s 1999 article, which connects antiphospholipid syndrome to Gulf War syndrome.
On 1 June 2025, I added this link to this open-access article that Dave McGlasson mentions in his comment: James LM, Johnson RA, Lewis SM, et al. Lupus anticoagulant in Gulf War Illness and autoimmune disorders: a common pathway toward autoimmunity. J Immunol Sci. 2021;5:14-18. doi: 10.29245/2578-3009/2021/1.1208. PMID: 40370758; PMCID: PMC12077079.
Dennis responded: Thank you for your response. Although aerial spraying of AO may have stopped in the year you mentioned, tactical spraying (hand pumps, truck tanks, etc.) continued in Korat Air Force Base Thailand during my 1975 tour supporting the evacuation of Saigon, Phnom Penn, the Mayaguez, etc. The other issue may have been extensive fogging of bug sprays on base.
Here’s a follow-up comment from Dan Kaczor: Exposure to Agent Orange is associated with an increased risk of myeloproliferative neoplasms and an increased risk of arterial thrombosis and increased bleeding according to new research presented at the 2023 conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Found an interesting article on lupus anticoagulant in James LM, Johnson RA, Lewis SM, et al. Lupus anticoagulant in Gulf War illness and autoimmune disorders: a common pathway toward autoimmunity. J Immunol Sci.2021;5:14–18. doi: 10.29245/2578-3009/2021/1.1208. PMID: 40370758; PMCID: PMC12077079. This group compared blood specimens from Gulf War veterans with Gulf War illness (GWI) and several autoimmune disorders. These included assays for relapsing multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and lupus anticoagulant (LA). Positive LA was found in 25% of veterans with GWI, this proportion was not statistically different from the proportion of positive LA in patients diagnosed with other observed autoimmune illnesses, however, the presence of prothrombotic antiphospholipid antibodies could be an important marker for GWI and associated autoimmune diseases. The LA results could indicate new possibilities for treating Gulf War veterans. To download a copy of the open access James article, see the link in the entry above.