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Morning Briefing

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Friday, Feb 15 2019

Full Issue

Trump's Weight Officially Puts Him In Obese Category, But Heart Expert Says He Has Relatively Low Risk For Cardiovascular Disease

The White House released details of President Donald Trump's annual physical with Dr. Sean Conley. According to the report, Trump has gained weight from last year's exam and upped his dosage of cholesterol medication. But doctors looking at the results said he's in relatively good health, deeming him "lucky."

U.S. President Donald Trump has gained weight over the past year and is now in the obese range, although he remains in "very good health overall," according to results of an annual presidential physical examination conducted last week. Trump, known for his love of hamburgers and well-done steaks and an aversion to the gym, was warned by his doctor last year that he needed to change his diet and start to exercise. (2/14)

Dr. Conley, a Navy commander and the director of the White House medical unit, reported Mr. Trump鈥檚 weight without comment in a memorandum describing some results of the physical that was released by the White House. After a team of 11 specialists examined the president for four hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Conley said the president was in 鈥渧ery good health鈥 and was expected to remain so 鈥渇or the remainder of his presidency and beyond,鈥 but did not release any other details. (Karni and Altman, 2/14)

Conley said Trump鈥檚 level of 鈥渂ad鈥 LDL cholesterol was 122, which is considered 鈥渘ear optimal/above optimal鈥 by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. His total cholesterol was 196, which is considered 鈥渄esirable,鈥 the agency says. (Wayne, 2/14)

Mariell Jessup, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, said the data released by Trump鈥檚 physician show a 鈥渓ucky鈥 older man with relatively low risk for cardiovascular disease. Jessup plugged the data released by Trump鈥檚 physician into the American Heart Association鈥檚 risk calculator and found that Trump has a 17 percent chance of developing cardiovascular disease in the next decade. (Olorunnipa and Johnson, 2/14)

Some Trump critics wondered why it took so long, but it often takes days to receive medical test results. The White House nonetheless released the memo on a busy day, shortly after news broke that the president planned to sign a government funding deal and issue a national emergency to ensure the construction of his border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Restuccia, 2/14)

The report by Dr. Conley was less comprehensive than the three-page memo Dr. Jackson issued last year, which in addition to the president鈥檚 vital statistics described each of the exams Dr. Jackson had performed and detailed Mr. Trump鈥檚 lab results. Dr. Jackson also held a briefing with reporters, in which he said he had administered an extensive cognitive assessment at the president鈥檚 request. The assessment yielded a perfect score, Dr. Jackson said. Dr. Conley鈥檚 memo said he administered a neurological exam but didn鈥檛 say if he administered a cognitive assessment. Dr. Conley didn鈥檛 have a briefing with reporters. (Ballhaus, 2/14)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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