Perhaps you are one of the thousands of victims of the Stryker hip recall, and are now worried about Stryker hip metallosis or chromium and cobalt poisoning. Or perhaps you have already suffered serious, adverse health issues as a result of your Stryker Rejuvenate. The Stryker hip recall occurred in July, 2012, after over sixty adverse reports had been sent to the FDA regarding problems with the Rejuvenate and ABGII.
At the time of the recall, Stryker stated the Rejuvenate and ABGII had exhibited a higher-than-normal rate of failure, and were subject to fretting and corrosion at the neck junction. When fretting and corrosion occur in a metal hip implant, excess cobalt and chromium ions are released into the body, leading to Stryker hip metallosis and/or chromium and cobalt poisoning. While both metals can be extremely dangerous when they build up in the body, cobalt may be particularly hazardous.
Cobalt Poisoning Resulting from Your Stryker Rejuvenate
While cobalt is found in trace amounts in the human diet—and is necessary in the transportation of oxygen in the body—cobalt from a metal hip implant is quite a different matter. The amounts of cobalt found in the body are minute, yet are a critical component of vitamin B12. Cobalt is used in many industrial processes, however when cobalt is ingested, inhaled, or is a by-product of a metal hip implant, there are serious risks involved. If you were to have a single dose of cobalt introduced into your body—and you were in good health, with no kidney problems—your body would naturally work to dispel the cobalt from the body.
Approximately 40% of the cobalt will be eliminated within 24 hours through urinary excretion, and 70% within a week. Even so, a full year later, the body will still retain 10% of the cobalt from that single dose of cobalt. If you have a metal hip implant in your body which has undergone corrosion and is sending cobalt ions into your body on a continuous basis, you can imagine how hard your body is working in an attempt to dispel the microscopic metal shards. When the body is unable to rid itself of the cobalt ions in the hip area, the tissues become inflamed, and eventually begin to deteriorate. The hip bone will also begin to degrade as time passes and the cobalt continues to build up. Chronic pain in the hip, groin or thigh area is possible, and eventually the implant may fail altogether. When the cobalt ions enter the bloodstream, an entire litany of serious health issues can result, including:
· Hypothyroidism
· Adverse cardiovascular issues
· Neurological issues (hearing loss, atrophy of the optic nerve, visual impairments, vertigo, chronic headaches, cognitive decline, irritability, anxiety, depression)
· Fatigue
· Kidney failure
· Rashes
· Muscle atrophy and seizures
· An increase in certain cancers
· Reproductive disorders
· DNA changes
· Pseudo-tumor development
Normal levels of cobalt in the human body are below 1.0 µg/L, with anything above 5.0 considered toxic. It is important that you have regular blood testing done in order to keep an eye on your cobalt and chromium levels, even if you have not yet suffered ill effects from your Stryker Rejuvenate. Aside from keeping in close contact with your doctor, it could be beneficial to speak to a Stryker hip recall lawyer in order to find out whether you should consider a Stryker hip lawsuit.