On Thursday, Donald Trump underwent an examination for swelling in his leg. Later, it was announced that the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. Now, an expert has provided more details about what the condition actually entails. Although it’s not life-threatening, it could seriously affect his everyday life.
Donald Trump’s noticeably swollen ankles have been a subject of public discussion, especially after recent public appearances and photographs fueled further health speculation.
On Thursday, Donald Trump underwent a “comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies,” with the White House Medical Unit. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read a note from the president’s physician, Sean Barbabella.
“I know that many in the media have been speculating about bruising on the president’s hand and also swelling in the president’s legs,” she said Thursday. “So, in the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today.”
In the memorandum, Barbabella stated that Donald Trump had “noted mild swelling in his lower legs.”
“The president underwent a comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies. 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 statement read.
Donald Trump diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency
Dr. Sean Barbabella further noted there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease, which would be more serious conditions. The president’s lab testing was all “within normal limits.”
He also underwent an echocardiogram and there were “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified,” Barbabella wrote.
As per CNN, about 150,000 people are diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency every year. The risk increases with age, and symptoms can include, as with Trump, swelling in the lower legs or ankles, as well as aching or cramping in the legs. Pain or skin changes can also be symptoms.
Dr. Jeremy Faust, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School, told CNN that the statement about Donald Trump is “not alarming information” and “not surprising.”
“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,” Faust said.
“It can be debilitating”
Further, cardiologist Dr. Bernard Ashby explained that Chronic venous insufficiency can be related to other conditions, such as increased pressure from the heart or sleep apnea.
“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?,” Ashby told CNN.
Dr. Chris Pernell told the news outlet that age, obesity, and inactivity can also lead to Chronic venous insufficiency.
“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. And while it is not life-threatening, it can be debilitating.”
Donald Trump ‘catheter’ picture went viral
In later months, this is not the only possible health issue surrounding Donald Trump that has been brought up. While there haven’t been any official statements on whether it’s true or not, rumors have it that Trump might be wearing a catheter.
On June 9, an image of Donald Trump attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event went viral online, and several posts on X, Facebook, and TikTok questioned whether the president was wearing a catheter under his suit.
The picture shows fighter Kayla Harrison, who had just won the UFC women’s bantamweight championship, putting her belt around Trump’s waist.
One post stated, “Trump appears to wearing leg braces and possibly a catheter. The weakness on his right side has been pretty evident for a number of years. And the bruising on his right hand might be caused from his receiving infusion therapy of some sort. Common with a Parkinson’s type disease,”
Another said, “Trump is absolutely wearing a Foley catheter. It’s a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine into a bag strapped to the leg. That line down his pants? Not a crease. It’s tubing. Every step he takes sounds like the sloshing of a warm Capri Sun.”
The post went viral. Some defended Trump, stating that it wasn’t a catheter at all.
“No it isn’t. That pant leg is close fitting and that perfectly straight line is a crease. Foley catheters are absolutely not standard of care except post procedure. A walkie talkie patient gets self-cath or male pads,” one post read.
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