Joe Biden Is A ‘Healthy, Vigorous’ 77-Year-Old, Says Doctor
Joe Biden‘s campaign released a summary of his medical history on Tuesday, which included his doctor’s conclusion that the former vice president would physically be able to handle the responsibilities of the Oval Office.
The 2020 Democratic candidate documents also included the results of a physical exam by Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s primary care doctor since 2009 and the director of executive medicine at The George Washington Medical Faculty Associates.
“Vice President Biden is a healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State, and Commander in Chief,” O’Connor wrote, according to The Washington Post.
According to O’Connor’s report, Biden has four health-related issues: irregular heart beat (non-valvular atrial fibrilllation, or “A-fib”), high concentrations of fat in the blood (hyperlipidemia), acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux), and seasonal allergies. Biden “takes three common prescription medications [Eliquis, Crestor, and Dymista] and two common over-the-counter medications [Nexium and Allegra],” O’Connor wrote.
Biden is recorded as 6 feet and weighing 178 pounds, with a blood pressure of 128/84 and a cholesterol reading of 126.
“The most important thing that I saw on there, once you get into your 70s, the one signal that is the strongest of all, that tells you someone is exceptional, is their ability to work out on a regular basis,” Stuart Jay Olshansky, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago who analyzes the longevity of presidents, told The Washington Post.
“Working out at least five days a week for someone his age, if that’s indeed true, is remarkable,” Olshansky added, while noting that a cognitive functioning test had not been completed.
Biden has frequently faced questions about his age and health on the campaign trail. Before Tuesday’s records release, he has often responded to those questions with challenges to wrestling matches and push-up contests, as The Inquisitr has previously reported.
The former vice president is one of four septuagenarians in the race, including Bernie Sanders who suffered a heart attack in October. In recent months, Biden said he would release his medical records before the Iowa caucuses on February 3, so voters would have all the information before casting a ballot. However, releasing the records now may have been a politically savvy move by putting some questions to rest ahead of Thursday’s debate.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, multiple people close to Biden — including close campaign advisers — sat the former vice president has reportedly signaled that he would serve just one term as president, if elected. The sources suggested it would be a move to allay concerns about his age. However, Biden has publicly swatted away the notion, calling it a “nonstarter” and a “gimmick.”
Biden is the frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, according to recent poll averages compiled by RealClearPolitics. Biden currently leads Bernie Sanders by nearly 8.4 points nationwide, but he is polling lower in some early voting states, including Iowa and New Hampshire.
