The White House moved to shut down growing speculation Thursday about President Donald Trump’s health, citing what it called minor and routine conditions.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed reporters directly, saying “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.”
“In keeping with routine medical care and out of an abundance of caution, this concern was thoroughly evaluated by the White House Medical Unit,” Levitt said.
In “the effort of transparency,” Leavitt doctors ran vascular studies and bilateral venous Doppler ultrasounds, ultimately diagnosing Trump with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition Leavitt described as “benign and common, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”
According to the National Institute of Health, chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition that encompasses several pathological changes (eg, lower extremity edema, skin trophic changes, and discomfort) secondary to venous hypertension.
She emphasized there was “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,” and said a full panel of lab tests and an echocardiogram showed “normal cardiac structure and function.”
As for the hand bruising spotted in recent photos, Leavitt chalked it up to “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” which Trump reportedly takes as part of a preventive heart health regimen.
“This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy,” she said. “The president remains in excellent health, which I think all of you witness on a daily basis here.”
Leavitt said the full physician’s memo would be distributed to the press.
