What Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency, Trump's Diagnosis?

President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a information that causes humor to excavation successful his legs aft he was examined for “mild swelling successful his little legs,” White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.

At a property briefing, Leavitt said Trump was diagnosed pinch chronic venous insufficiency, a “benign” information communal successful group complete nan property of 70. The president is 79.

Follow-up tests recovered nary grounds of a superior aliases life-threatening information for illustration heavy vein thrombosis, she said, but they did lead to a test of chronic venous insufficiency.

From left: First woman Melania Trump, President Donald Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his wife, Leena Al Ashqar, watch nan 2nd half of nan Club World Cup last shot lucifer betwixt Chelsea and PSG successful East Rutherford, N.J., connected Sunday.Pamela Smith / AP

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

Normally, oxygen-rich humor is pumped each complete nan body, including passim nan arms and legs. Veins past nonstop that humor backmost to nan bosom to reoxygenate.

Sometimes, veins successful nan legs go damaged and can’t negociate to return that humor arsenic good arsenic they should, according to nan Cleveland Clinic. When that happens, humor settles successful nan legs, starring to a information called chronic venous insufficiency.

Patients tin acquisition swelling, symptom and tegument discoloration. Sometimes, ulcers develop.

The information itself is common, affecting an estimated 1 successful 20 adults, usually complete property 50. Dr. Lee Kirksey, a vascular surgeon astatine nan Cleveland Clinic, said it’s not life-threatening.

It does, however, “raise a yellowish emblem for america to look astatine underlying issues, whether it’s assemblage weight aliases whether it’s a sedentary lifestyle,” Kirksey said.

According to Trump’s April 2025 physical, his bosom usability is normal and “blood travel to his extremities is unimpaired.” His latest beingness besides says he is 6-foot-3 and weighs 239 pounds, which indicates he is overweight, according to nan NIH BMI Calculator. Being overweight aliases obese is simply a consequence facet for chronic venous insufficiency.

How is chronic venous insufficiency treated?

Dr. Aaron Aday, co-director of vascular medicine astatine Vanderbilt University Medical Center successful Nashville, said nan cardinal is to activity those limb veins to get them pumping again.

“When we walk, nan muscles successful our feet and our legs compression our veins that thief pump humor backmost to nan heart,” Aday said. “If you’re sitting aliases standing, say, connected a level thrust aliases a table job, that unit tin build up, causing achiness and heaviness successful nan legs.”

There’s nary circumstantial curen for chronic venous insufficiency. Wearing compression stockings and elevating legs tin beryllium helpful, experts said.

Blood thinners tin besides thief forestall humor clots from forming. Trump takes aspirin, a humor thinner, according to his aesculapian records.

Neither Kirksey nor Aday is progressive pinch Trump’s care.

On Thursday, nan president’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, said successful a memo that “President Trump remains successful fantabulous health.”