NCS
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President Donald Trump was examined for swelling in his legs and has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, the White House introduced Thursday.
Trump, 79, underwent a “comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies” with the White House Medical Unit, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, studying a word from the president’s doctor, Capt. Sean Barbabella.
Barbabella’s letter, which was later launched by the White House, states that “bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”
The examination got here after Trump had “noted mild swelling in his lower legs” over latest weeks, Leavitt stated.
“Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease” and Trump’s lab testing was all “within normal limits,” based on the letter. Trump additionally underwent an echocardiogram. “No signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified,” Barbabella wrote.
Chronic venous insufficiency is a situation by which valves inside sure veins don’t work the way in which they need to, which may permit blood to pool or gather within the veins. About 150,000 individuals are diagnosed with it annually, and the chance goes up with age. Symptoms can embody swelling within the decrease legs or ankles, aching or cramping within the legs, varicose veins, ache or pores and skin modifications. Treatment might contain remedy or, in later phases, medical procedures.
“It’s basically not alarming information, and it’s not surprising,” Dr. Jeremy Faust, an assistant professor of emergency drugs at Harvard Medical School, informed NCS.
“This is a pretty normal part of aging, and especially for someone in the overweight to obese category, which is where the president has always been. But the bigger concern … is that symptoms like this do need to be evaluated for more serious conditions, and that is what happened.”
Chronic venous insufficiency could be associated to circumstances like elevated stress from the guts or sleep apnea, heart specialist Dr. Bernard Ashby informed NCS.
“Even though he’s diagnosed with a benign condition, venous insufficiency, by itself doesn’t necessarily mean it’s benign. The question is, what’s causing the venous insufficiency? And so I would want to know whether or not he has any evidence of, again, increased pressures in the heart or increased pressures in the lungs, which can be contributing to that, and if so, what is the primary cause of that?”
Trump’s medical doctors had been “covering all their bases” by screening him for coronary heart failure, elevated stress and different circumstances, he stated.
Age, weight problems and inactivity can all result in the situation. “If a person is older, a person is overweight, a person is not engaging in regular physical activity or exercise, if a person is sitting or standing for prolonged amounts of time, you can get chronic venous insufficiency,” Dr. Chris Pernell informed NCS.
“And while it is not life-threatening, it can be debilitating,” she added.
Leavitt later added that the president was experiencing “no discomfort.”
The press secretary additionally addressed bruising that has appeared on the again of the president’s hand, which she attributed to his “frequent handshaking,” plus his use of aspirin.
“This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen,” Barbabella’s letter says.
The letter concludes that “President Trump remains in excellent health.”
Trump will turn out to be the nation’s oldest president throughout his second time period.
NCS’s Asuka Koda contributed to this report.
This story has been up to date with further context.