The Results of Biden's Physical Are In, But Medical Expert Says Key Information Is Missing
There is a glaring blank spot in the middle of the glowing evaluation of President Joe Biden’s health that was released by the White House on Thursday, according to one medical expert.
“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s personal physician, wrote in a summary released by the White House.
The physical took place Thursday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The summary released by the White House said an “extremely detailed” neurologic exam was conducted on the 80-year-old president, with nothing to indicate that stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease are in the offing.
A small lesion on Biden’s chest was removed as part of his skin cancer screening, it said.
However, questions remained about his cognitive health, according to Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a family and emergency medical professional. In an interview with Fox News, she wondered aloud how the president performed on a “mini mental status exam.”
“How did he do on that? What was his score?” Nesheiwat said. “I would like to know. Physical, mental, emotional health are all as equally important.”
“Biden will be our oldest sitting president,” she said. “We need a president who is sharp, shrewd, who has the cognitive stamina and the mental acumen to lead our great country.”
“The job of the presidency is a very demanding stressful job. We must ensure our leader is physically mentally and emotionally capable, especially when it comes to, decisions, regarding life and death and the overall health, safety, and well-being of our nation,” Nesheiwat said.
The White House release noted Biden contracted COVID-19 last year but said he has no residual symptoms.
The report also said the president has a “stiff gait” attributed to arthritis, a foot Biden broke in the past and mild neuropathy in his feet.
Biden suffers from non-valvular atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat, the summary said.
The president also experiences “occasional symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux,” which means he needs to clear his throat often, the report said.
Biden has indicated he plans to run for a second term. If re-elected, he would be 86 at the end of his presidency.
Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, a former White House doctor, said the American people deserve to have more than a report.
“The physician to the president, Kevin O’Connor, owes it to the country to step up to the plate right now and stand up before the press and answer all the hard questions,” Jackson told the New York Post last week.
“They are going to be asked, ‘Did he get a cognitive exam done?’ The answer is going to be no because either they’re not going to do a cognitive exam or they’re going to do one and not let the American people know what the results were,” he said.
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