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Trump Diagnosed With Common Condition 07/18 06:20
President Donald Trump recently had a medical checkup after noticing "mild
swelling" in his lower legs and was found to have a condition common in older
adults that causes blood to pool in his veins, the White House said Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump recently had a medical checkup
after noticing "mild swelling" in his lower legs and was found to have a
condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins, the
White House said Thursday.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said tests by the White House medical unit
showed that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when little
valves inside the veins that normally help move blood against gravity gradually
lose the ability to work properly.
Leavitt also addressed bruising on the back of Trump's hand, seen in recent
photos covered by makeup that was not an exact match to his skin tone. She said
the bruising was "consistent" with irritation from his "frequent handshaking
and the use of aspirin." Trump takes aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack
and stroke.
She said during her press briefing that her disclosure of Trump's medical
checkup was meant to dispel recent speculation about the 79-year-old
president's health. Nonetheless, the announcement was notable given that the
Republican president has routinely kept secret basic facts about his health.
Trump in April had a comprehensive physical exam with more than a dozen
medical specialists. The three-page report released then by the White House did
not include a finding of chronic venous insufficiency. At the time, Trump's
doctor, Sean Barbabella, determined that the president's joints and muscles had
a full range of motion, with normal blood flow and no swelling.
Leavitt did not say when Trump first noticed the swelling in his lower legs.
As part of the president's routine medical care and out of an "abundance of
caution," she said he had a "comprehensive exam" that included vascular, lower
extremity and ultrasound testing.
She noted that chronic venous insufficiency is a benign condition that is
common in people over age 70.
She said the tests revealed no evidence of deep vein thrombosis, a more
serious medical condition in which a blood clot forms in one or more of the
deep veins in the body, usually in the legs. Nor was there any evidence of
arterial disease, she said, reading a letter from Barbabella.
People often are advised to lose weight, walk for exercise and elevate their
legs periodically, and some may be advised to wear compression stockings.
Severe cases over time can lead to complications including lower leg sores
called ulcers. Blood clots are one cause, but was ruled out, Leavitt said.
Leavitt said the condition wasn't causing the president any discomfort. She
wouldn't discuss how he was treating the condition and suggested those details
would be in the doctor's letter, which was later released to the public. But
the letter was the same as what she read, and it did not include any additional
details.
Dr. Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon at Mass General Brigham who has never
treated Trump, said there is no cure for chronic venous insufficiency.
"The vast majority of people, probably including our president, have a mild
to moderate form of it," Dua said.
People with the condition can reduce the swelling by wearing medical-grade
compression socks or stockings, to help the blood circulate back to the heart,
or by walking, she said.
The exam the White House disclosed Thursday included other testing that
found no signs of heart failure, renal impairment or systemic illness in Trump,
Leavitt said.
"The president remains in excellent health, which I think all of you witness
on a daily basis here," she told reporters.
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