Doctor Zebra > Presidential Health > Donald Trump > Laboratory Testing Results

⬅ Donald Trump: Laboratory Testing Results

Medical data
As a handy reference, various laboratory test results, spanning years, have been charted SEE BELOW and consolidated links to his physician notes are available.
Height, weight, and obesity
Trump is obese. His 6 feet 2 inches of height and 244+ pounds of weight, give him a body mass index (BMI) of 31.3, well above the threshold value, 30.0 kg/m2, that defines obesity. Trump and his physicians have demeaned themselves with a meager fiction that he is an inch taller. MORE    A tabulation of his hights and weights is available. SEE BELOW
Circus-like physicals
For physical exams while he was a private citizen, Trump said, "Well, I try and do it every year" 1. His long-time personal physician has written: "He has had an annual physical exam in the spring of every year" 2.

As a candidate, Trump issued three statements about his medical health:

  • 2015: (December)   MORE 3 (Physician statement #1)
  • 2016: (September)  MORE 2 (Physician statement #2)
  • 2016: (September)  MORE 1 (Interviews: Dr. Oz, Fox)
Since taking office, Trump has had more-or-less yearly physical examinations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center:
  • 2017: (January)  Takes office.
  • 2018: (January)  MORE 4 Press briefing: MORE 5
  • 2019: (February) MORE 6
  • 2019: (November) MORE 7 sham exam part 1
  • 2020: (June)     MORE 8 sham exam part 2
The main medical results from these evaluations are tabulated elsewhere SEE BELOW, and are discussed in various pages.

Comment: Incredibly, these physical examinations, which one would expect to be routine, staid affairs, took on circus-like characteristics:

  • The 2015 report had ridiculous, unprofessional hyperbole that made Trump's physician a national laughingstock. It later emerged that Trump wrote this report himself.
  • The 2018 report was delivered during a press conference in which the President's physician made good-humored and properly caveated remarks that commentators unfairly inflated to ridiculousness.
  • The first 2019 report, though more subdued (and, sadly, far less complete), still contained unsupportable prognostications from the new presidential physician.
  • The second 2019 report, for Trump's "interim checkup" -- if that's what it really was -- is a shambles. Subtexts of the nonsensical statements from the White House and the President's physician strongly suggest it was not a routine examination at all, but a hurried, abrupt consultation at Walter Reed for undisclosed medical reasons.
  • The 2020 report was no report at all, except for confirming with painful clarity the degree to which the White House physician is a patsy of his President. Worse, with a presidential election occurring less than five months later, the results of this physical examination will be the only recent medical data available to the electorate when they vote.

Hence, four times in three years confidence in the office of the President's physician was undermined -- a low ebb in its history. Even if one credulously believes that the President's medical team has been completely and honestly forthcoming, all this sturm und drang is itself dangerous, as it can easily detract from substantive medical issues -- as it already seems to have done with Trump's sleep.

Coronary artery disease
Trump has calcium deposits in his coronary arteries. They are extensive enough to exceed a common threshold for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease 9 MORE. The calcium was detected on CT scans over a number of years, with the amount of calcium increasing each time. (Results tabulated here: SEE BELOW) Trump's risk of arterial disease progression seems to be driven mainly by his age, cholesterol, and obesity MORE.

Trump's secretiveness around his health makes it impossible to say whether he has had direct complications of the disease in his coronary (and other) arteries. Indirect complications may have attended his covid-19 illness.

More...
Parameter Values pre-2013
 		 Value in 2013-2014
2		 Value in 2015
3		 Value in 2016
(Sep.) 2		 Value in 2018
(Jan.) 4		 Value in 2019
(Feb.) 6		 Value in 2019
(Nov.) 7		 Value in 2020
(Apr.) 8
Age born 1946 ~66-68 ~69 70 71 72 73 73
"Height"Feet + Inches  (Note 140) 6'2'' in 1964
6'2'' in 2012
MORE		     6'3''Note 140 6'3''Note 140 6'3''Note 140   6'3''Note 140
WeightPounds 180 in 1964
MORE		   Lost 15
pounds
in prior
12 mos		 236 239 243   244
"Body Mass Index"
(Fake, based on 6'3'')kg / m / m		         29.9Note 144 30.4   30.5
Body Mass Index
(Actual, based on 6'2'')kg / m / m		         30.7 31.2   31.3
Cardiovascular
Blood pressure     110/65 116/70 122/74 118/80   121/79
Resting heart rate         68/min 70/min   63/min
Pulse oximetry         99% 99%   98%
Total cholesterol       169 223 196 165 167
LDL cholesterol       94 143 122 84 91
HDL cholesterol       63 67 58 70 70
Triglycerides       61 129     65
[Fasting] Blood sugar       99 89      
C reactive protein UQ       0.7Note 235        
Cardiac CRP               0.34 mg/dL
coronary calciumUnits?   Note 200 34In 2009 5 98In 2013 2 5     133 5Note 244      
EKG       normalApril 14 normalNote 245 "unchanged"    
Chest x-ray       normalApril 14        
Transthoracic
echocardiogram		   "within the
range of
normal"Dec. 16, 2014 2		     UnremarkableNote 247      
Exercise stress
echocardiogram		         "Above average
exercise capacity
based on age and sex."
No abnormalitiesNote 248		      
Calculated 10-year
coronary risk		         9.5%Note 999      
Neurological
Carotid auscultation     Unmentioned Unmentioned "Normal" Conspicuously
unmentionedNote 350		 Unmentioned Unmentioned
Carotid pulse     Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned
Carotid ultrasound     Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned
Neurological exam         Normal Unmentioned Unmentioned Unmentioned
Montreal Cognitive
Assessment		         30/30      
Endocrine and Metabolic
[Fasting] Blood sugar       99 89      
Hemoglobin A1c         5.0%     5.4%
Electrolytes               "normal"
Testosterone       441.6        
"Thyroid function"       "within
normal
range"		 TSH=1.76μIU/mil "normal"   "normal"
"Liver function"       "within
normal
range"		  ALT=27 U/L
AST=19 U/L		 "normal"   "normal"
Renal function          BUN=19.0 mg/dL
Creat=0.98 mg/dL		 "normal"   "normal"
Vitamin B12               "normal"
Vitamin D               "normal"
Cancer Screening
Colonoscopy   "normal and
revealed no
polyps"July 10, 2013 2		     Deferred to 2019Note 510      
Prostate specific
antigen (PSA)		     0.15Note 525 0.15Note 525
Note 535		 0.12Note 525      
Low-dose chest CT         "No pulmonary
pathology"		      
Complete blood count               "normal"
Other
Bedside Physical Exam     "Only positive results"   UnremarkableNote 640 "No findings
of significance
or changes"		   "No findings
of significance
or changes"
HIV test       "up to date" 10        
Hepatitis C         Result?Done "remotely" in time MORE      
Medications     "a statin... low dose"
 
aspirin:  81mg qd		 rosuvastatin
    ("Crestor")
low dose ASA
 
finasteride 10
a tetracycline 10Note 642		 rosuvastatin 10mg qd
aspirin 81mg qd
finasteride 1mg qd
ivermectin cream
multi-vitaminNote 644		 Only change:
rosuvastatin
   raised to
   40mg qd      Unclear when
      Note 646		   rosuvastatin 40mg qd
aspirin 81mg qd
finasteride 1mg qd
 
hydroxychloroquine, zinc, vitamin DNote 652
Immunizations         Prevnar 13
Twinrix
influenza (past)		 Pneumovax23
Shingrix		   "All travel and routine vaccinations [including flu] up to date"
General notes:
  • References and dates in the column cells override references and dates in the column header.
  • Unless specified, exact dates in a year are unknown in first three columns. Values in the 2016 column without a specified date are only assumed to have been measured in 2016.
  • The omission of measurement units in the source documents is sloppy medicine.
Other notes:
  • [Note 140] As noted elsewhere MORE, more reliable documentation gives Trump's actual height as 6'2'' and there is more than a little reason to think that the 6'3'' value appearing since announcing his presidential candidacy is a deliberate exaggeration. The presidential physician loses credibility by reporting so patently untrue a number, but one can imagine the pressure on him (not to mention, for the military physicals, the enlisted med-tech who is probably the one who actually measured the President's height).
  • [Note 144] Were Trump's actual height of 6'2'' used, the body mass index would have been 30.7 -- in the "obese" range. This matter is discussed elsewhere: MORE
  • [Note 200] Dr. Zebra assumes that the disclosed coronary calcium values are "Agatston" scores 11.
  • [Note 235] The precise meaning of "C reactive protein UQ" is unclear. On June 14, 2020 a google search for the term (with quotes) disclosed 35 hits, all but three of them related to Trump, and none of them providing a medical explanation.
  • [Note 244] The President's physician did not release this number as part of his report, believing it was not clinically significant 5. It emerged only during questioning by reporters. Gupta 9 notes that a score over 100 is diagnostic of coronary artery disease, which he probably gets from the MESA study's nearly eight-fold increase in risk for coronary events above a level of 100 12. The magnitude of this number's risk can be appreciated by referring to the risk calculations in Note 999, which calculates risk both with and without the calcium score. If the White House is reluctant to admit that President Trump is obese, it is no surprise that it would not be fully forthcoming about his coronary artery disease. Still, partial credit should be given to the President's physician for not ducking the question.
  • [Note 245] EKG in 2018: "Normal sinus rhythm, rate of 71, normal axis, and no other significant findings."
  • [Note 247] Transthoracic echo in 2018: "Normal LV systolic function, EF 60-65%, normal LV chamber size and wall thickness, no wall motion abnormalities. RV normal, atria grossly normal, all valves normal." One wonders why the word "grossly" is inserted to describe the atria. Atrial size is of interest in an older person as an indicator of risk for atrial fibrillation, which is a type of cardiac arrhythmia. Clots are always of interest. One suspects there is something not quite normal about one or more of the President's atria (or something inside them). But bravo for disclosing detail down to the level of the atria.
  • [Note 248] "Normal heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output response to exercise. No evidence of ischemia noted and wall motion was normal in all images."
  • [Note 350] Dr. Zebra is rather suspicious about this. The physician's note enumerates several organ systems that were examined, but omits "vascular" and makes no mention of peripheral pulses. Significantly, it uses the word "heart," not "cardiovascular" (the latter including the major arteries). Hence the report does not actually testify to the absence of signs of vascular (arterial) disease.
  • [Note 510] The 2018 report states the 2013 colonoscopy was in June 2013, whereas Dr. Bornstein's note of 2016 says it occurred on July 10, 2013. It is nice to see that even the President of the United States has f*cked up medical records.
  • [Note 525] Trump takes 1mg of the drug finasteride daily to prevent hair loss. This lowers the PSA by about 50% 13. Talking to a TV-doctor in September 2016 Trump said 1: "My PSA has been very good. ... And it's always the first number I ask for. I say give me that number. I want to know, and my number's been -- as you say it's been a very good number."
  • [Note 535] Given the identical PSA values reported in 2015 and 2016, it is not clear whether they are from the same blood draw.
  • [Note 640] Poor Dr. Jackson. Trump's abdominal examination was not normal. In his report, Jackson did not include the standard (and warranted) medical description "Abdomen: obese." Dr. Jackson's medical report is lengthy and detailed, and looks highly professional, but here we see that it falls short. This is not surprising: the presidential physician cannot be wholly professional, nor wholly honest. Dr. Jackson's report is probably as good as we'll ever see.
  • [Note 642] Trump refilled prescriptions for "a long-acting tetracycline, a common antibiotic, to control rosacea" 10. This was later changed to ivermectin.
  • [Note 644] These seem to have been the medications and dosages going into the examination. As a result of the examination, the dose of rosuvastatin was raised to an undisclosed level. However, the ivermectin cream (for rosacea) appears to have started no earlier than February 2017 (see note 642).
  • [Note 646] Dosing of the statin is temporally unclear. The statin dose was 10 mg going into the January 2018 exam. As a result of that exam the dose was raised, though it was not said to what dose. The January 2019 exam says "The only change in medication is an increased dose of rosuvastatin to 40 mg daily" MORE -- does this mean this was the only change in the past year, or that this is the only change being made as a result of that examination? It would have been very aggressive to quadruple the dose in January 2018, so perhaps the dose was doubled at that time, and an interim checkup before January 2019 showed another doubling was needed.
  • [Note 652] In May 2020 Trump took a "two-week course of hydroxychloroquine with zinc and vitamin D" 8.
  • [Note 999] Calculated via the MESA model 14 15, as shown below. The MESA study defined a "CHD Event" ("coronary heart disease event") as either a myocardial infarction (heart attack) or death from coronary artery disease 12.
Cited Sources
  1. Cillizza, Chris; Blake, Aaron. Donald Trump's interview with Dr. Oz was just as amazingly strange as we thought it would be. (Published 15 September, 2016. Downloaded on 2019-12-01.) Available on the web: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/15/donald-trumps-visit-with-dr-oz-was-just-as-amazing-as-you-though-it-would-be/

    Comment: Also includes annotations by Cillizza and Blake. Their interview transcript is archived here: MORE

  2. Bornstein, Harold N. [Public Letter]. (Published 13 Sept. 2016. Downloaded on 2019-11-30.) Available on the web: https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/DJT_Medical_Records_.pdf

    Comment: Dr. Bornstein became Trump's physician in 1980. Bornstein's letter is linked to by Frizell (op cit) and is archived here -->   MORE

  3. Bump, Philip. Donald Trump's doctor came down with a case of Trumpitis. (Published 26 Aug. 2016 (revision of original Dec. 2015 story). Downloaded on 2019-11-25.) Available on the web: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/14/donald-trumps-doctor-has-come-down-with-a-case-of-trumpitis/

    Comment: This articles relates to the first of Dr. Bornstein's letters, reprinted here -->   MORE

  4. Jackson, Ronny L. (M.D.). The President's Periodic Physical Exam. (Published January 16, 2018. Downloaded on 2019-11-21.) Available on the web: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Summary-of-Physical-Exam-for-President-Trump-12-Jan-2018.pdf

    Comment: The document is archived here -->   MORE. Also highly informative is the press briefing where the report was delivered: MORE.

  5. Sanders, Sarah; Jackson Ronny. Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Dr. Ronny Jackson. (Published 16 Jan. 2018. Downloaded on 2019-12-28.) Available on the web: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-sarah-sanders-and-dr-ronny-jackson-01162018/

    Comment: A transcript of the press briefing is archived here --> MORE

  6. Conley, Sean (D.O.). The President's Second Periodic Physical Exam. (Published February 14, 2019. Downloaded on 2019-11-25.) Available on the web: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/memorandum-physician-president-2/

    Comment: The document is archived here -->   MORE

  7. Conley, Sean (D.O.). Interim Check Up. (Published November 18, 2019. Downloaded on 2019-11-21.) Available on the web: https://stjosephpost.com/posts/5dd3f3c7897d147ad4bb10f8

    Comment: The document is archived here -->   MORE

  8. Conley, Sean (D.O.). President Donald J. Trump's Periodic Physical Exam. (Published June 3, 2020. Downloaded on 2020-06-10.) Available on the web: https://media.arkansasonline.com/news/documents/2020/06/03/Trump_Physical_Exam.pdf

    Comment: The document is unacceptably vague about dates. For example, it is not possible to determine on what date between Nov. 2019 and April 2020 the President's weight was measured. The document is archived here -->   MORE

  9. Gupta, Sanjay. President Trump has common form of heart disease. CNN.com. 1 Feb. 2018.   Available on the web at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/17/health/trump-heart-disease-gupta/index.html
  10. Altman, Lawrence K. Donald Trump's Longtime Doctor Says President Takes Hair-Growth Drug. (Published 1 Feb. 2017. Downloaded on 2019-12-24.) Available on the web: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/politics/trump-prostate-drug-hair-harold-bornstein.html
  11. Agatston A, et al. Quantification of coronary calcium using ultrafast computed tomography. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 1990; 15: 827-832. Pubmed: 2407762. DOI: 10.1016/0735-1097(90)90282-t
  12. Detrano R, Guerci AD, et al. Coronary Calcium as a Predictor of Coronary Events in Four Racial or Ethnic Groups. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008; 358:1336-1345. Pubmed: 18367736. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa072100
  13. D'Amico AV, Roehrborn CG. Effect of 1 mg/day finasteride on concentrations of serum prostate-specific antigen in men with androgenic alopecia: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncology. 2007; 8(1): 21-25. DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(06)70981-0
  14. McClelland, Robyn L. MESA Risk Calculator. (Published 2015(?). Downloaded on 2019-12-28.) Available on the web: https://www.mesa-nhlbi.org/CAC-Tools.aspx
  15. McClelland RL, et al. 10-Year Coronary Heart Disease Risk Prediction Using Coronary Artery Calcium and Traditional Risk Factors. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2015; 66: 1643-1653. Pubmed: 26449133. DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.08.035
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