Donald Trump is suffering from a vein condition called chronic venous insufficiency, according to the White House. Days after speculation surrounding photographs featuring bruises on the US president’s hand, the White House announced on Thursday (July 17) that he had been examined for his swollen legs.
The US President underwent a “comprehensive exam” after he experienced swelling in his legs, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed during a press conference. In the exam that included vascular testing, it was revealed that the US president’s hand was consistent with “tissue damage from frequent handshaking”, she added, reading a note from Capt. Sean Barbabella, the president’s physician.
White House physician Sean Barbabella stated that the condition is benign and common, especially among people over 70. There were “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness” in Trump in the additional testing. His doctor said the President is in “excellent health.” Leavitt’s early briefing confirmed.
“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 physician’s note read.
What is Chronic Venous Insufficiency?
The vein condition that the President is suffering from is called chronic venous insufficiency. It causes leg swelling after the leg veins fail to pump blood to the heart. As a result, the blood pool in the lower limb causes swelling.
Values and veins “propel the blood up and out of the leg” and back towards the heart. The process can be difficult when the blood flowing from the legs to the heart is moving against gravity. “So what chronic venous insufficiency is, is when those veins and valves don’t work and blood goes backwards down the legs,” Dr Meryl Logan, assistant professor of vascular surgery at the University of Texas at Austin, told the BBC.
“It can be associated with serious conditions, but in and of itself, it is not a serious condition, and one that is very common. People in his age group, I would say probably somewhere between 10 and 35% of people would have this,” Dr Matthew Edwards, chair of the Department of Vascular Surgery at Wake Forest University, said.
Since chronic venous insufficiency can only affect the lower part of the body, rumors were generated about the bruises on Trump’s hand. His doctor said the bruising was a result of constant handshaking. It is a side effect of his aspirin intake, which is a medication used to prevent heart attacks, blood clots, and strokes.
Trump was taking aspirin as “part of a standard cardio-vascular prevention regimen,” and the side effects of this medication caused bruises on his hands. There was “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease”, and the test results were “within normal limits”, Leavitt shared.
“We are all more prone to bruising as we get older, and you see that a lot in people who take aspirin and other blood-thinning agents. I’m sure it could if someone squeezes your hand hard enough (you could get a bruise). That would be a pretty stiff handshake,” Dr Edwards said, agreeing with the White House statement.
The US President, 78, has regularly touted his good health. Once, he described himself as “the healthiest president that’s ever lived”. During the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday (July 13), photographers captured Trump’s swollen legs. Subsequent photos featuring the President’s bruised hands, taken earlier this week during his meeting with Bahraini Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the White House, captured the attention.
Speculations started doing the rounds online about Trump’s illness not being made public after an image of the president’s hand, photographed in February during his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, started circulating online.
