WASHINGTON — President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a blood circulation issue, after noticing “mild swelling in his lower legs,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Thursday.
Leavitt made the surprise disclosure while addressing conjecture about recent bruising on Trump’s hands, which she said was assessed to be “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin” as a preventative heart-health measure.
“In the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today,” Leavitt said.
“In recent weeks, President Trump noted mild swelling in his lower 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,” she read.
“The president underwent a comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies, bilateral lower extremity, venous doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency… a common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”
She added: “Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease… An echocardiogram was also performed and confirmed normal cardiac structure and function, no signs of heart failure, renal impairment or systemic illness were identified additionally.”
It was not immediately clear how Trump, 79, would be treated for the ailment.
‘Recent photos of the president have shown minor bruising on the back of his hand,” she also acknowledged.
“This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy and the president remains in excellent health, which I think all of you witness on a daily basis here.”
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