Biden Receives Clean Bill of Health After Physical Exam at Walter Reed

President Joe Biden is “fit for duty,” according to his doctor, who released an update on the U.S. President’s health Thursday. After a routine physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Kevin O’Connor found that Biden, who is the oldest sitting U.S. president in American history at age 80, is “healthy” and “vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

As the conversation intensifies regarding politicians over 75 years of age, Nikki Haley has proposed that “mandatory mental competency tests” should be administered to these older lawmakers.^[0] Biden has faced questions about his age and mental capacity since taking office after making a series of gaffes during speeches and events.^[1]

Due to a hectic travel itinerary, the White House's original statement that President Biden would finish his physical by the end of January was postponed.^[2] According to O'Connor, his assessment was done through an extensive analysis of Biden's medical records and a thorough physical examination conducted by specialists from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.^[3]

The doctor's summary indicated that all other examinations on the president’s upper body were normal, including his head, ears, and throat.^[4] No signs of stroke or Parkinson's disease were revealed through the neurological examination.^[4] The results of a biopsy of a small lesion on Biden’s chest are still pending.

O'Connor said the most notable update from Biden’s last physical in November 2021 was his coronavirus infection over the summer, but said the president has not experienced any lingering symptoms that could be characterized as “long covid.”^[5]

On Thursday, O'Connor wrote that Biden is being treated for four conditions: non-valvular atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm), hyperlipidemia (higher concentrations of fats or lipids in the blood), gastroesophageal reflux, and seasonal allergies.^[6] He also noted that Biden had a lesion removed from his chest for biopsy as part of his skin cancer surveillance.

0. “Biden healthy, vigorous and fit for job, says doctor” BBC, 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64670196

1. “Biden Is ‘Healthy, Vigorous, 80-Year-Old,' Physician Declares After Exam” HuffPost, 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-physical-results_n_63ef5030e4b07f036ba2e49c

2. “Biden's physical shows he remains ‘healthy' and ‘vigorous,' doctor's report says” CNN, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/politics/joe-biden-routine-physical-walter-reed/index.html

3. “White House doctor says Biden remains ‘fit for duty' after physical” NBC News, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-says-medical-exam-really-went-well-rcna70891

4. “Joe Biden's Doctor Says President Is ‘Healthy, Vigorous' at 80” The Daily Beast, 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.thedailybeast.com/joe-bidens-doctor-says-president-is-healthy-vigorous-at-80

5. “Biden undergoes annual physical exam as reelection looms” The Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/16/biden-physical-exam/

6. “Biden ‘remains fit for duty,' White House doctor says after his 2nd presidential physical” ABC News, 16 Feb. 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-amid-questions-age-undergo-2nd-physical-president/story?id=97226141