Even though the Stryker Rejuvenate and ABGII have a much smaller metal surface area which is subject to corrosion leading to metal ions being released into the body, the harmful effects of these recalled Stryker hip implants can be just as serious. Metal toxicity can be a very grave health issue to deal with, leading to a variety of adverse health symptoms such as:
· Cardiovascular, renal, thyroid, gastrointestinal and neurological issues
· Loss of hearing and vision
· Depression, anxiety and irritability
· The development of pseudo-tumors
· Disruption of DNA
· Loss of memory
· Balance issues
While both chromium and cobalt can cause damage to the human body, cobalt is generally considered slightly more dangerous. In addition to the general symptoms of metal toxicity, cobalt has been linked to liver damage, reproductive problems, severe headaches and cancer. In general those patients with 1 microgram of cobalt in their bloodstream are relatively safe, while anything above 25 micrograms is considered cobalt poisoning. There are reports of patients with a metal-on-metal hip implant having over 100 micrograms of cobalt in their system—meaning they are likely very ill. A “normal” human has roughly 0.019 micrograms of cobalt per deciliter—approximately one microgram for the entire body.
Toxic levels of cobalt may amount to no more than 4-5 tiny grains of sand. It’s hard to imagine such tiny amounts of this metal can wreak such havoc in the human body, but those tiny metal particles can disrupt the entire human body. Britain requires close observation of patients implanted with any type of metal hip device. Patients with cobalt levels of 0.7 micrograms per deciliter are regularly monitored by doctors in Britain—but not in the United States. At those levels the patient’s symptoms can include chronic pain in the hip region, bone and tissue loss and pseudo-tumors.
Revision hip surgery in Britain is generally recommended among patients with a cobalt concentration of 1.9 micrograms per deciliter or above. One patient described in a Britain study had cobalt levels of 350 times the norm; in addition to pain, this particular victim of a metal hip implant showed a lessening in cognitive functions, vision and hearing disturbances, seizures, heart failure and multiple other adverse health issues. Severe cobalt poisoning can also mean that the patient’s hip revision may stand much less chance of success.
Cobalt poisoning may take years to fully manifest or may occur fairly quickly following implantation of a Stryker recalled hip implant. Each person will experience metal toxicity in their own way—some with relatively low levels of cobalt can become very ill, while others with higher levels may not feel particularly bad or may chalk their symptoms up to other sources. If you have asked yourself “What damage does cobalt do in my body from a hip,” then you must have regular blood testing to check your levels of cobalt and chromium. Should those levels be unduly high, your Stryker hip implant may be compromised and may have to be removed.