White House doctor reports on Biden’s fitness to serve
US President Joe Biden was said to be “vigorous” and “healthy” following his latest medical examination, with the White House physician saying the 80-year-old leader remains “fit for duty.”
The routine health check-up was outlined in a five-page memo issued on Thursday by the president’s physician Kevin O’Connor, who noted Biden’s condition was “unchanged from baseline” following his last physical in late 2021.
“President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” O’Connor said.
Though Biden suffers from a number of mild ailments, such as acid reflux and a “stiffened gait” resulting from a prior foot fracture, he was found to have no major health problems otherwise. He was said to have a case of peripheral neuropathy – or pain, numbness or weakness in the hands or feet – but O’Connor noted that for nearly 50% of patients with the condition, a clear cause is not identifiable.
The president previously had several “localized, non-melanoma skin cancers” removed in a minor surgical procedure, during which the lesions were “completely excised.” One additional lesion was found during Thursday’s exam, with O’Connor saying it was removed and sent in for a biopsy. The results of the test are still pending.
Biden became the oldest person to assume the presidency at age 78, beating out his nearest contender, former President Donald Trump, by around eight years. Despite the clean bill of health, Biden has left it unclear whether he will run again in 2024, when he would be almost 82 years old.
