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| Doctor Zebra > Presidential health > List of Presidents > William Clinton | [Graphical Version] |
| The Health and Medical History of President | ||||||||
William Clinton |
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| President #42. |
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Maladies = tonsillectomy · GE reflux · rectal bleeding · strained knee ligament · cardiac risk · height & weight · hearing aids · vocal cords · allergic rhinitis · refused anthrax vaccine · counseling · torn knee tendon · cyst removed · nose lesion removed · basal cell carcinoma · acne rosacea · coronary bypass · decortication surgery ·· Odds & Ends ·· Resources |
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| Maladies and Conditions | [Top] |
| tonsillectomy | Bill Clinton had a tonsillectomy in 1952, at age 6 [3a]. |
| GE reflux | Clinton "has been troubled by gastrointestinal symptoms which have been attributed to reflux esophagitis." These symptoms included "bouts of heartburn" [3b]. Treatment included elimination of certain foods (e.g. caffeine), antacid medication, and sleeping on a wedge [3c]. As Clinton prepared to leave office, his medical regimen was simplified because afterwards "he will be in charge of taking his own medications" [More]. Comment: The condition has several other names, including gastroesophageal reflux, GE reflux, and GERD. |
| rectal bleeding | Clinton underwent colonoscopy in 1984 because of rectal bleeding. It showed "no evidence of significant pathology including polyps or tumorous growths" [3d]. |
| strained knee ligament | Left knee ligament strain in 1984 [3b]. |
| cardiac risk | Clinton's cholesterol level, and, more generally, his overall cardiovascular risk, were a concern as early as 1992. Details are summarized on an accessory web page, where Dr. Zebra does some rather unattractive ranting, but it's in the good cause of getting more people to take statin medications... [More]. In sum, Clinton had five exercise tolerance tests while President; it was felt at his last Presidential physical examination (in 2001) that another such test was unwarranted. He started taking simvastatin (Zocor) at that time, because of elevated cholesterol levels, as discussed in a press conference [More]. In September 2004 Clinton needed urgent coronary bypass surgery (see below). |
| height & weight | Clinton is 6 feet 2 inches tall, or perhaps 6 feet 2.5 inches tall [12]. From 1992 to 2001 his weight varied from 236 to 214 pounds [More]. The lower height and a weight of 226 gives him a body mass index of 29.1 kg/m/m -- overweight, but not quite obese. After leaving office, Clinton was on the South Beach diet for an unknown time, and did lose weight [13] -- and then needed a bypass operation. |
| hearing aids | bilateral |
| vocal cords | For a year before the 1992 election, an otolaryngologist managed the frequent hoarseness Clinton would get from voice overuse. Nasal allergies and reflux esophagitis were felt to contribute to the problem [3f]. |
| allergic rhinitis | Before his election, at least, Clinton was taking Hismanal (astemizole) for "environmental allergies." Consequences of his allergic rhinitis included: "sinus congestion, nasal drainage, and occasional swelling of the temporal area." A sinus window was surgically constructed in 1979 [3b]. An allergist evaluated him in autumn 1991 and reported [3f]: He [Clinton] has a history of nasal congestion, swelling of his eyes, and difficulty breathing through his nose. His nasal congestion was so severe in the spring of 1991 that he had difficulty running. There is no history of wheezing, asthma, or severe allergic reaction. His signs and symptoms are worse in the fall. He is noted to be a nonsmoker.Skin testing showed moderate reactions to house dust, mold spores, cat dander, weed pollen, grass pollen, beef, and milk. Allergy injections were prescribed, and he tolerated them well. By 1992 "he was on the usual maintenance dose and was taking his injections every two weeks, depending on symptoms" [3b]. Clinton continued to have allergy symptoms while President. |
| refused anthrax vaccine | The day after the U.S. military announced it would vaccinate its members against anthrax in 1997, President Clinton said he did not plan to be vaccinated [6]. Editorial: Dr. Zebra is a little bitter over this failure of leadership. Clinton's refusal lent credence to the crackpots and conspiracy theorists who used anthrax vaccination to sow suspicion and discontent in the military. (To his credit, Secretary of Defense Cohen was immunized.) |
| counseling | "In 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for President, up came the question of psychiatric history. No, was the reply; he had received counselling for some stressful family matters, but no psychiatric treatment. After revelations of Clinton's White House escapades, he announced a self-prescribed treatment course: periodic meetings with three clergymen to obtain guidance for his return to marital rectitude" [8]. Mrs. Clinton has commented that, beginning after August 1998, "We spent a lot of time in counseling, and I found it very helpful" [7]. |
| torn knee tendon | At the home of golfer Greg Norman in March 1997, Clinton caught his heel on a step and tore 50% of his right quadriceps tendon. (The tendon connects the kneecap to the quadriceps muscle of the thigh.) Clinton heard the tear as a "very loud pop." He underwent a two-hour operation under regional anesthesia to repair the tendon, followed by weeks with a knee brace and crutches [4]. Had the operation required general anesthesia, Clinton had planned to transfer Presidential authority to Vice President Gore under terms of the 25th Amendment [5]. Clinton was awake during the entire operation and "was alert most of the time" [4]. |
| cyst removed | A benign cyst was removed from Clinton's chest in 1995. Comment: Based on comments after Clinton's 2001 physical examination, this seems to have been a sebaceous cyst. [More] |
| nose lesion removed | A precancerous growth on the skin of Clinton's nose was removed in 1996 with liquid nitrogen. |
| basal cell carcinoma | Biopsy of a lesion on Clinton's back, discovered during a routine physical examination on January 12, 2001, disclosed basal cell carcinoma. It was removed in January 2001, to little fanfare. [More] |
| acne rosacea | At his 2001 physical, this was described as "well controlled" [More]. |
| coronary bypass | On Sept. 2, 2004, Clinton was evaluated at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York for chest pain and shortness of breath. Results were normal, and Clinton went home. The next day, further evaluation at the Westchester Medical Center (probably a cardiac angiogram) led to the recommendation for urgent four-vessel coronary bypass grafting [13]. [More] Clinton ultimately underwent successful bypass. Comment: Apparently Clinton had unstable angina, not a heart attack. Dr. Zebra has not, however, seen this explicitly mentioned in published reports. Angina (a type of chest discomfort) occurs when heart muscle is starved for oxygen. This starvation may or may not cause part of the starved muscle to die. By contrast, a heart attack ("myocardial infarction") has occurred when part of the heart muscle has died, however small. Blood tests are the best way to distinguish angina from a heart attack. |
| decortication surgery | On March 10, 2005 Clinton had an elective operation to correct a complication of his coronary bypass. Called "decortication," the operation removed part of the lining around the lower lobe of the left lung, the lining having become much thicker than usual as a result of the irritation caused by the bypass [2]. He tolerated the operation well [1]. |
| Odds & Ends | [Top] |
I knew I would never get used to the Secret Service agent posted outside our bedroom door. This was standard operating procedure for past Presidents, and the Secret Service was adament, at first, about keeping it that way.Comment: I made some guesses about President Clinton's cardiac risk factors at age 46 and used the Framingham equation [17] to estimate his cumulative risk of a heart attack as 0.08 (i.e. 8%) over the following 10 years. Assuming heart attacks occur uniformly throughout the day (a false assumption), his risk of a nocturnal heart attack is about 0.027. Dividing by the number of nights in 10 years, the average per-night risk is 0.000007."What if the President has a heart attack in the middle of the night?" one agent asked me when I suggested he station himself downstairs instead of with us on the second floor.
"He's 46 years old and in great health," I said. "He's not going to have a heart attack!"
| Resources | [Top] |
| Alternate index terms: Medical history of President Clinton, Medical history of President William J. Clinton, Medical history of President William Jefferson Clinton, Medical history of William Jefferson Blythe, Medical history of Bill Clinton. | [Top] |
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