Trump Diagnosed With Vein Disease Tied To Swollen Ankles
The president remains in excellent health, says Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
White House doctors diagnosed Donald Trump with chronic venous insufficiency, though the physicians said the US president remained in "excellent health", Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Trump, 79, underwent an exam after after recent photos showed the president with swollen ankles and a bruised hand, Leavitt announced Thursday.
The ankle swelling is related to the venous disease, which occurs when damaged valves struggle to keep blood flowing from the legs back to the heart. Leavitt called it a “common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70".
"Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease," the spokeswoman said. "The president remains in excellent health."
The hand bruising resulted from frequent hand-shaking and is also "a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy", Leavitt said. Trump is taking the medicine as a part of a "standard cardiovascular prevention regimen," she said.
