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| Doctor Zebra > Presidential health > List of Presidents > Gerald Ford | [Text Version] |
| The Health and Medical History of President | ||||||||
Gerald Ford |
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| President #38. |
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| Timeline: | |<== 1776 | |||||||
Maladies = unnecessary appendectomy · stutter · weak knees · pipe smoker · clumsy · swine flu immunization · tongue abscess · stroke · dizziness in heat · "horrible cold" · pneumonia · shortness of breath · pacemaker, coronary angioplasty · hospitalization for tests · undisclosed cause ·· Odds & Ends ·· Resources |
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| Maladies and Conditions | [Top] |
  unnecessary appendectomy |
At age 5 Ford developed severe abdominal pain. He was rushed to the hospital, where appendicitis was diagnosed. At operation, his appendix was discovered to be normal [5a]. Comment: Ford's parents were furious. It should be remembered, however, that as late as the 1980s, surgeons understood that 10% of their operations for appendicitis should discover a normal appendix: anything less meant that diseased appendices were going un-operated. Imaging methods developed since then have changed the rules. Interestingly, Ford was to be midiagnosed again, 70 years later (see below). |
 stutter |
Ford stuttered until about the age of ten [5b]. There have been speculations that his ambidexterity or emotional issues were the cause [5b]. |
  weak knees |
"Weak knees" as a result of playing football [5c]. |
 pipe smoker |
Ford smoked a pipe, about eight bowls a day [5d]. |
clumsy |
His reputation as a clumsy person is ironic, given that he is the most athletic president of the 20th century. A former All-Star college football player (who turned down offers to play professionally [5c]), he was in good physical shape when he entered the White House at age 62. As President, he continued to ski, swim, and play golf and tennis, and was good at all of them [4a]. Ford fell while walking down air stairs at a Spanish airport on May 3, 1975 [5d]. Dr. Zebra can remember at least one other slip, and Ford hitting a spectator with a golf ball. |
 swine flu immunization |
In 1976 experts warned that an emerging strain of influenza, known as the "swine flu," had the potential to cause illness on a massive scale that winter. A large public immunization campaign was launched, and a photo was released showing President Ford being immunized by his physician, Dr. William Lukash [9]. Interestingly, the photo shows Dr. Lukash not wearing gloves as he administers the shot, unlike standard practice today [More]. |
 tongue abscess |
During the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Ford appeared "sluggish and sick" on television during a tribute to him. A few hours later, shortly after midnight on Wednesday, August 2, Ford presented to the emergency room at Hahnemann University Hospital, complaining of facial pain. The physician diagnosis was "a sinus attack." Ford stayed only a half-hour, and declined the recommendation to have a CT scan [12]. Upon awakening on Wednesday morning, Ford had new symptoms and returned to the hospital. He apparently had left arm weakness, balance difficulties, and slurred speech [12]. A stroke was diagnosed and he was treated with "blood thinners" [12]. The slurred speech, however, was ascribed to a swollen, painful tongue, which proved to be abscessed with actinomycosis. (This is an exceedingly rare cause of a tongue abscess.) The abscess was drained under general anesthesia [14]. (It is not clear when the anticoagulants were started, in relation to the abscess drainage.) Later, a Ford spokesman declared that Ford had developed tongue pain while in Colorado, before Ford departing for the convention [14]. By August 5 Ford was "completely recovered from the stroke" (there were also questions about a possible other strokes) [14]. He left the hospital on August 9, still taking antibiotics and blood thinners [8]. Comment: The Hahnemann University Hospital was obviously embarassed by missing the diagnosis on the first night, but refused to admit anything. A hospital spokesman said "We do not believe there was any misdiagnosis there." He then shamelessly shifted the blame to the patient, saying "The activities that evening were totally controlled by the President" [12]. The question is: how could the abscess have been missed on physical examination the first night, especially when Ford had noted tongue pain days earlier? How did the physician(s) arrive at the mistaken diagnosis of a sinus problem? A CT scan is usually not required to discover a tongue abscess. Comment: It is possible that missing the tongue abscess the first night played a role in causing the stroke, as there is a tight relationship between inflammation and acute vascular events. In simple terms, inflammation (the classic response to an infection) makes the blood more likely to clot (the actual event triggering a stroke). Older physicians, for example, will recall the classic association between pneumonia and acute myocardial infarction. In Ford's case, the missed diagnosis allowed the infection, hence the inflammation, to progress for the extra few hours leading to the stroke. |
 stroke |
August 2000. See discussion above. |
 dizziness in heat |
In 2003 Ford, then 89, was golfing in 96-degree heat in California's Coachella Valley. He became dizzy and was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center for examination [11]. |
"horrible cold" |
Hospitalized mid-December 2005 [1]. |
 pneumonia |
Hospitalized because of pneumonia on January 14, 2006 for 12 days. He was not afterwards seen in public until April 23. Pictures of Ford on that day show him standing, using a cane. [2] |
shortness of breath |
In July 2006, was hospitalized for two days at the Vail Valley Medical Center (Colorado) because of shortness of breath [2]. |
pacemaker, coronary angioplasty |
In separate procedures during the same hospitalization at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester) in late August 2006, Ford had implantation of a permanent cardiac pacemaker and underwent a two-vessel coronary angioplasty (with stent placement) [3]. |
 hospitalization for tests |
In October 2006 was admitted for "medical tests" for five days to Eisenhower Medical Center [10]. |
 undisclosed cause |
Ford died on December 26, 2006 at age 93. He lived longer than any President in history. The cause of death has not been disclosed. A clergyman reported that Ford was alert when he attended a religious service on Dec. 16, but was too weak to stand [7]. Comment: Ford died four months after his angioplasties and stents (see above), a typical time at which re-stenosis can occur. However, his passing did not appear to be abrupt, which lessens (but does not eliminate) the possibility of coronary artery disease as the cause. |
| Odds & Ends | [Top] |
| Resources | [Top] |
| Alternate index terms: Medical history of President Ford, Medical history of President Gerald R. Ford, Medical history of President Gerald Rudolph Ford, Medical history of Leslie Lynch King, Medical history of Jerry Ford. | [Top] |
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