Dr Neil McGuire, clinical director of medical devices at the MHRA, said he wanted to establish whether cobalt leached from the implants was causing adverse effects.

Doctors are being urged to check for signs of dementia or heart disease in hip implant patients.

There are concerns that the metal-on-metal devices are leaching toxic chemicals into the blood which cause serious health complications.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced last month that patients would be called in for x-rays and blood tests to check for adverse reactions.

Now a spokesman for the watchdog said it was also keeping a ‘weather eye’ on a possible link to heart attacks and dementia.

Source: Toxic metal hip replacements could cause Alzheimer’s | Daily Mail Online