Trump in excellent health, doctor says, despite leg swelling and hand bruising

Memo on US president’s health released after physical earlier in the week; leg swelling continues but has improved, memo says; Trump turns 80 in June

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US President Donald Trump remains in excellent health, his physician said in a memo released by the White House on Friday, citing results from an examination earlier in the week that indicated the 79-year-old continues to experience “slight lower leg swelling” and “benign” hand bruising.

“President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function,” Dr. Sean Barbabella wrote in the Tuesday memo, released late in the evening on Friday, adding that Trump is “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”

Trump’s Tuesday visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, his third in 13 months, was closely watched as the White House in the past year had to detail several of the president’s health conditions after pictures revealed at times swollen ankles, bruised hands and a blotchy neck.

Shortly after the visit, Trump said “everything checked out perfectly.”

Barbabella’s memo cited Trump’s “slight lower leg swelling… with improvement from last year” and continued hand bruising, described as “common,” “benign” and “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation related to frequent handshaking in the setting of aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention.”

The memo did not address the reason for skin treatment in March on the president’s neck and did not indicate he underwent another magnetic resonance imaging exam, as he did in October.

Trump, who turns 80 in June and was the oldest person to assume the presidency, frequently casts himself as more energetic and fitter than Joe Biden, his Democratic predecessor, who left office last year at age 82 after facing questions about his fitness for the job.

Friday’s memo said the president’s overall cardiac function is normal and that “a comprehensive neurological examination demonstrated normal mental status,” including screenings for depression and anxiety.

“Preventive counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss,” the memo said.

Trump is 6 feet 3 inches tall (190 cm) and weighs 238 pounds (108 kg), the memo added.