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White House Confirms Trump Diagnosed With Chronic Venous After Leg Swelling, Hand Bruising
Donald Trump is suffering from a chronic vein condition, the White House announced on Thursday, after days of speculation regarding photographs showing bruising on the US president’s hand.
After recently experiencing swelling in his legs, Trump underwent a “comprehensive exam” including vascular testing, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt said Trump’s bruised hand was consistent with “tissue damage from frequent handshaking” while taking aspirin, which she said is “part of a standard cardio-vascular prevention regimen”.
Trump, 79, has regularly touted his good health and once described himself as “the healthiest president that’s ever lived”.
The president’s recently discovered vein condition is called chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when leg veins fail to pump blood to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower limbs, which can then become swollen.
Veins and valves “propel the blood up and out of the leg” and back toward the heart, Dr Meryl Logan, assistant professor of vascular surgery at the University of Texas at Austin told the BBC.
Blood flowing from the legs to the heart is moving against gravity, which can make that process more difficult.
“So what chronic venous insufficiency is, is when those veins and valves don’t work and blood goes backwards down the legs,” she said.
Oldest US president ever inaugurated
Leavitt said that there was “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease” and that all results from the test were “within normal limits”.
According to a note from White House physician Sean Barbabella released to reporters, the condition is “benign and common”, especially in people over age 70.
Additional testing showed “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness” in Trump, Barbabella said in the note, which confirmed the information from Leavitt’s earlier briefing.
Overall, Trump is in “excellent health”, the doctor wrote.
Photographers captured what appeared to be Trump’s swollen legs during the Fifa Club World Cup final in New Jersey on 13 July, with subsequent photos taken earlier this week showing his bruised hands during a meet with Bahraini Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the White House.
A bruise on the president’s hand had previously been photographed during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in February.
His swollen legs and bruising prompted online speculation and rumours that the president may have been experiencing an illness that hadn’t been made public.
Following an annual physical exam in April, Barbabella wrote that Trump “exhibits cognitive and physical health”.
Trump was 78 years and seven months old when he was sworn in for his second term in January, making him the oldest president to ever be inaugurated as US leader.
What to know about chronic venous insufficiency
Doctors told the BBC they agree with Barbabella’s assessment on the severity of chronic venous insufficiency.
“It can be associated with serious conditions, but in and of itself it is not a serious condition, and one that is very common,” Dr Matthew Edwards, chair of the Department of Vascular Surgery at Wake Forest University, told the BBC.
“People in his age (group), I would say probably somewhere between 10 and 35% of people would have this.”
Experts say other risks include being overweight, having a history of blood clots, and having jobs that require patients to be on their feet for long durations.
Wearing custom-made medical-grade compression stockings can help manage the condition, and experts also recommend patients elevating their legs at night.
“I tell my patients to use a good creamy lotion all over their legs and feet every day, and then controlling other potential risk factors such as obesity,” Dr Logan said.
The president’s bruised hand
Chronic venous insufficiency only affects the lower part of the body, so the condition is unrelated to the bruising seen on the president’s hand, which generated speculation in recent days.
The president’s doctor said the bruising was a result of handshaking and a side effect of him taking aspirin, a medication which can help prevent heart attacks, blood clots, and strokes.
Dr Edwards said he agrees with the White House doctor’s explanation that Trump’s aspirin intake along with his age could be responsible for the bruising.
“We are all more prone to bruising as we get older, and you see that a lot in people that take aspirin and other blood-thinning agents.”
“I’m sure it could if someone squeezes your hand hard enough, (you could get a bruise),” Dr Edwards said.
“That would be a pretty stiff handshake.”
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Naija News reports that Justice had earlier convicted Kanu on all seven counts levelled against him by the Federal Government.
The judge sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment for count 1, 2, 4,5, and 6.
He also sentenced Kanu to 20 years forcount 3 without option of fine.
The Judge sentenced Kanu to five years in prison on count seven without option of fine.
Justice Omotosho ruled that he should not be kept in Kuje prison. He forfeited Nnamdi Kanu’s radio transmitter and barred him from access to social media.
More are still coming
The Federal Government has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to impose the death sentence on the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, following his conviction on all seven terrorism counts.
The request was made on Thursday by the FG’s lead counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), shortly after Justice James Omotosho found Kanu guilty of all charges preferred against him.
Awomolo, addressing the court after the verdict, argued that the severity of Kanu’s actions merited the maximum penalty under the law.
The senior lawyer insisted that Kanu committed “many illegalities” and should not be treated with leniency.
Awomolo further reminded the court that four of the seven counts on which Kanu was convicted carry the death sentence under Nigeria’s terrorism laws.
He urged Justice Omotosho to take this into account in determining the appropriate punishment.
“It will not be considered justice that he is isolated and punished lightly in a country where we have Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, et cetera,” he argued.
According to the prosecution, Kanu’s actions were as destabilising as those of other violent groups and should be treated with equal seriousness.
Awomolo also urged the judge to ensure that Kanu is kept in a secure correctional facility pending the court’s final pronouncement on sentencing.
He stressed the need to prevent any disruptions or security breaches involving the IPOB leader while the sentencing process is underway.
Kanu was earlier found guilty of inciting violence, ordering attacks on security personnel, calling for killings, and issuing threats capable of terrorising the public, all captured in broadcasts tendered as evidence by the prosecution.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has delivered his ruling in the case between the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and the Federal Government.
Naija News reports that the judgement was given in Nnamdi Kanu’s absence after the judge had ordered security operatives to kick him out of the court over his unruly behaviour.
Nnamdi Kanu had earlier stated that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja does not have the jurisdiction to try him.
The separatist, who has been in custody since 2021, faced seven terrorism-related charges bordering on alleged incitement, running an unlawful group, and acts threatening national security.
The IPOB leader contended that the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, under which he is being prosecuted, has been repealed.
He urged the court to strike out the charges, describing them as “disclosing no offence known to law” and therefore invalid.
Kanu also requested that the court nullify the “purported plea of not guilty” entered on his behalf, claiming it was obtained through deception and contrary to a Supreme Court ruling.
He further asked the court to set aside all subsequent proceedings and order his immediate release.
“My contention is very simple: this court lacks jurisdiction to try me,” he said.
Delivering ruling on Thursday, Justice Omotosho ruled that the court has the authority to preside over the Nnamdi Kanu case.
The judge also stated that the matter of extradition has been settled by the Supreme Court, and he ruled against Kanu in this regard.
On the issue of fairness in the hearing for Nnmadi Kanu, Omotosho ruled against the IPOB leader, stating that the court ensured he received a fair hearing.
On the defendant not entering his defence, Justice Omotosho said: “I begged the defendant passionately to enter his defence, but he remained obsolete. That shows that he chose to rest his case on the prosecution. Which is a gamble and a risky action.”
The court found Nnamdi Kanu guilty and convicted him of count 1 in the charges filed against him by the federal government.
The Judge said: “The court will rely on the uncontroverted evidence of the prosecution. This court, therefore, finds that the prosecution has discharged Count 1 beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, the defendant (Kanu) is hereby convicted in respect of Count 1.”
More judgement is being read and this report will be updated as it comes in…….
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