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President Joe Biden delivers a speech on his Safer America Initiative at the White House on Wednesday.
© Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post
Doubts about Joe Biden's health continue to arise.
Now his doctor comments on the US President.
Washington, D.C.
- US President Joe Biden's doctor released a summary of his health following his annual physical on Wednesday (February 28, local time), noting any major new problems and saying the president "remains fit for duty." .
The six-page summary was released at a time when Biden's age and cognitive abilities are under scrutiny.
The nation's oldest president wants to run for re-election in the 2024 US election.
The 81-year-old incumbent, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, will likely face Donald Trump, who is 77.
The examination showed that Biden is in good physical shape, standing at 1.80 m tall and weighing around 80 kg.
“President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old man who remains capable of successfully carrying out the duties of the presidency, including the duties of chief of executive branch, head of state and commander in chief,” the report concluded .
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Biden's longtime doctor, Kevin C. O'Connor, led the investigation and consulted with a number of other specialists.
“No new issues have been identified in this year’s investigation since its last inspection in February 2023,” O’Connor said.
He pointed to several issues Biden's medical team has treated over the past year, including Biden's stiff gait, sleep apnea and a root canal.
Joe Biden's health: No major changes
“The overall impression is stable,” said Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
“When I see a patient after six or 12 months for a physical exam, what I look for is: What has changed?”
He added: “This report does not show any major changes in the objective elements.
That's reassuring.
It is the report of an 81-year-old man.
81-year-olds have certain things that are chronic and common.” Biden, for example, takes medication for cholesterol, gastric reflux and seasonal allergies.
However, it is noteworthy that the report does not contain any cognitive part, said Reiner.
Current guidelines do not necessarily recommend a routine cognitive assessment for an 81-year-old, he said, unless it is recommended by the patient, caregiver or doctor because of a cognitive problem.
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Biden's cognitive abilities always give rise to speculation
“The other reason to test it would be a political reason,” said Reiner.
“There may well be a political reason since the issue is so high on the radar screen.
But obviously they didn't think it was justified.
But that is the glaring absence from the report.”
Biden's cognitive abilities and memory came into focus earlier this month when special prosecutor Robert K. Hur said a jury would likely see him as "a pleasant, well-meaning, older man with poor memory."
Democrats sharply criticized the report, arguing that Hur was not a doctor and was not qualified to make such a judgment.
Stiff gait as a result of wear and tear on the spine
O'Connor mentioned the president's stiff gait while walking, which he has in the past attributed to a broken foot Biden suffered in 2020.
The doctor wrote that he assembled a team to examine and evaluate the president and that they determined that much of his stiffness was the result of wear and tear on his spine.
“An extremely detailed neurological examination was again reassuring in that there were no findings consistent with a cerebellar or other central neurological disorder,” he wrote.
That could indicate that his stiff gait is not the result of other problems such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's, O'Connor said.
Biden also has “no tremors, either at rest or during activity,” and he “demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity,” according to the report.
Under “Social History,” O’Connor wrote: “The President has been happily married for 46 years.
He does not use tobacco products, does not drink alcohol and continues to exercise at least five days a week."
Biden with sleep disorders
Biden has also had some discomfort in his left hip recently.
The doctor said he will continue physical therapy and exercises to strengthen his lower extremities and stabilize his core.
"We have incorporated a more intensive stretching routine into the President's exercise program, and he participates in this program regularly, at least four to five times per week," O'Connor wrote.
The investigation also found that Biden began using a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea, the White House said.
That makes him one of millions of Americans who use this device to treat apnea, a sleep disorder in which breathing stops and starts frequently during sleep.
To the author
Matt Viser
is a White House reporter at The Washington Post.
He joined the Post in October 2018 and covered the midterms and 2020 presidential election before moving to the White House to cover President Biden's administration.
He previously served as deputy Washington bureau chief for the Boston Globe.
"Recognizing the importance of efficient sleep for anyone, but certainly for a leader, we revisited the topic last spring and conducted a formal sleep study," O'Connor wrote.
The study found that Biden would benefit from using the device to optimize his sleep.
After trying different types of masks, several products were selected that Biden has used with success.
“He has been remarkably compliant with therapy and is successfully using the PAP mask almost every night, most or all night,” the doctor wrote.
Biden also had a root canal last year, which was performed under local anesthesia and went without complications, which was announced at the time of the procedure.
When asked about his physical condition, Biden told reporters: “I'm fine.
Everything is fine." Asked if there was anything Americans should know, he joked: "They think I look too young."
Dan Diamond contributed to this report.
We are currently testing machine translations. This article was automatically translated from English into German.
This article was first published in English on February 29, 2024 at the “Washingtonpost.com” - as part of a cooperation, it is now also available in translation to readers of the IPPEN.MEDIA portals.