Jeffrey Caplan
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta didn’t examine President Donald Trump, but that didn’t stop him from diagnosing the commander-in-chief with heart disease, contradicting the evaluation of the president’s physician, Rear Adm. Dr. Ronny Jackson.
Videos by Rare
Jackson, a Texas native who was selected to be a physician for the White House during President George W. Bush’s tenure in 2006 and appointed the president’s personal doctor by President Obama in 2013, declared Trump’s cardiac health to be “excellent.” Gupta said on CNN that, based on the coronary calcium score shared from his physical, Trump has a common form of heart disease.
Gupta noted that Trump’s score has increased since 2009, when his coronary calcium score was 34. In 2013, it was 98, and Trump’s latest score was 133. Gupta said a score over 100 means he “has heart disease.”
He said Trump will need to take action to prevent a major health problem.
However, Jackson’s assessment differed.
“His cardiac health is excellent,” Jackson said. “And so I think, with all the other things in place — he doesn’t have, really, a family history of premature cardiac disease, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t have diabetes — a lot of the traditional risk factors he doesn’t have.”
“And so I think those things, in combination with the excellent cardiac results that we got from the exercise stress test, I think, are very reassuring.”
Gupta’s assessment got him roundly roasted on social media, particularly from those from right-wing media outlets.
https://twitter.com/esaagar/status/953625581786050562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fijr.com%2Fthe-declaration%2F2018%2F01%2F1050796-cnns-dr-sanjay-gupta-diagnoses-trump-with-heart-disease-gets-crushed-on-twitter%2F
https://twitter.com/JamesHasson20/status/953620548436799488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fijr.com%2Fthe-declaration%2F2018%2F01%2F1050796-cnns-dr-sanjay-gupta-diagnoses-trump-with-heart-disease-gets-crushed-on-twitter%2F
However, Gupta isn’t the only medical mind who took issue with the official statements on Trump’s heart health.
Cardiologists took note of Trump’s LDL cholesterol level being 143, well above the ideal score of 100 or less. They said Trump is at risk of having a stroke or a heart attack, noting that along with the high cholesterol level, he is overweight and doesn’t exercise beyond rounds of gold.
They said he should work to dramatically lower his LDL score to below 100 or even 70.
RELATED: A 2011 interview with Trump’s alleged porn-star fling surfaces
“We’re talking about a 70-plus-year-old man who is obese and doesn’t exercise,” Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist at the Scripps Research Institute told The New York Times. “Just looking at the lab value, you would raise a big red flag.”
For all you doctors, and would-be doctors, out there, here are two clips from Dr. Jackson's briefing that dealt with Trump's heart: pic.twitter.com/idwOs4JMri
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 17, 2018
Dr. David Maron, director of preventive cardiology at Stanford University’s medical school, told the Times that he would “definitely” be worried about Trump having a heart attack if he were monitoring the president’s health.
Maron said Trump’s LDL level was surprising, considering he is using Crestor, a powerful cholesterol-lowering drug.
Asked if Trump was in perfect health, Maron answered, “God, no.”
And so, as Byron York of the Washington Examiner and a contributor to Fox News tweeted, the partisan battle over Trump’s health and fitness to be president will continue despite the White House doctor’s positive evaluation.
Hadn't anticipated this, but probably should have. CNN Dr. Gupta's diagnosis will help keep partisan fight over basic state of president's health, fitness for office going despite Dr. Jackson's report.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 17, 2018
