Much of the country believes that Joe Biden does not have the mental capacity or physical stamina to be president anymore, and a new investigation into who's been visiting the White House is unlikely to change that perception. Uncorroborated rumors have circled for months that Biden may have Parkinson's disease, but now, a review of who's been visiting is all but guaranteed to make those whispers grow louder.
Neurologist Visits
The New York Post first reported that Dr. Kevin Cannard, one of the nation's leading neurologists, has visited the White House multiple times since 2022. Cannard is a longtime neurologist and an expert in movement disorders with 20 years of service at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
For the past 12 years, he has been the neurology specialist supporting the White House Medical Unit (WHMU). He is also conducting clinical research on the disease with partners at Vanderbilt University. Cannard's most recent paper, “Eleven-year outcomes from the deep brain stimulation in early-stage Parkinson's disease pilot clinical trial,” focuses on the early stages of the neurodegenerative disease.
White House Meetings
White House visitor logs revealed that in January, Cannard met with Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, and two others. Dr. John E. Atwood, a cardiologist at Walter Reed, also attended the 5 pm meeting. The fourth person has not been identified.
Cannard has traveled to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at least 10 times in the last two and a half years, nearly always visiting the WHMU. When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “A wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds.”
Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and Parkinson's Disease Dementia
The main symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) include:
- Tremors, particularly in the hands and fingers
- Muscle rigidity and stiffness
- Bradykinesia (slowness of movement)
- Impaired posture and balance
- Loss of automatic movements, such as blinking or swinging arms while walking
- Changes in speech, often soft or slurred
For Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), symptoms include:
- Memory problems
- Difficulty with concentration and attention
- Visual hallucinations
- Depression and anxiety
- Sleep disturbances
- Delusions and paranoia
Prognosis for Parkinson's Disease in the Elderly
For someone of average health in their 80s with Parkinson's disease or Parkinson's disease dementia, the prognosis can vary. On average, individuals with Parkinson's disease can live between 10 to 20 years after diagnosis, depending on various factors such as overall health and response to treatment. Parkinson's disease dementia may shorten this expectancy, with many patients living between five to 10 years after the onset of dementia symptoms.
Calls for Further Testing
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, has called for the president to undergo “detailed cognitive and movement disorder testing.” Gupta wrote in a recent op-ed, “When the 46th President of the United States took the debate stage a week ago, it became apparent, even from his first answer, that this would not be the performance he hoped for.”
For me as a brain specialist, it was concerning to watch President Joe Biden, and it quickly became clear that I was not alone in my reaction. Over the past week, I received more than a dozen calls, texts, and emails from medical colleagues who, like me, specialize in the brain. It wasn't that what we noticed was necessarily new but that it was particularly pronounced, and right from the start of the debate.
From a neurological standpoint, we were concerned with his confused rambling; sudden loss of concentration in the middle of a sentence; halting speech and absence of facial animation, resulting at times in a flat, open-mouthed expression. To be clear, these are only observations, not in any way diagnostic of something deeper, and none of these doctors wished to suggest that was the case.
The consensus from the doctors reaching out to me, however, was that the president should be encouraged to undergo detailed cognitive and movement disorder testing, and those results should be made available to the public.
Over the past five years, I have reported extensively on the advances in the world of treating and reducing risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia. For the documentary “The Last Alzheimer's Patient,” I even went through extensive cognitive testing to demonstrate what it entailed and determine whether I had problems with executive functioning, judgment or memory lapses, as well as blood tests to determine things like the level of abnormal proteins that may be present in my brain and my B12 levels. My sense of smell and my genetic risk factors were checked. This type of testing is not necessary for most people as a matter of routine, but every one of the brain doctors I spoke to recommended that level of examination for Biden.
Official Response
Dr. O'Connor claimed in a letter released Wednesday that a comprehensive assessment by a team of doctors revealed “no new concerns” about the president's health. Biden's physician noted he uses a positive airway pressure machine at night for sleep apnea and that he had a root canal in June.
O'Connor has grown extraordinarily close to Biden since becoming his personal physician in 2009. His letter came after a halting debate performance, apparent freezes, numerous gaffes and special counsel Robert Hur's characterization of the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
Conclusion
The ongoing investigations into President Biden's health, coupled with frequent visits from top medical specialists, continue to fuel public concern. The call for further testing by medical professionals underscores the need for transparency and thoroughness in addressing these health rumors. As the situation evolves, the nation watches closely.
