Donald Trump goes for a second health check-up in six months. Why it matters?

US President Donald Trump is going for a second medical check-up in six months at Maryland’s Walter Reed Medical Centre on Friday.

The White House declined to explain why Donald Trump was getting a yearly checkup six months after his annual exam.(Bloomberg File)

Presidents in the US usually go in for medical check-ups annually. The White House declined to explain why Trump was getting a yearly check-up six months after his annual exam.

The Republican President himself called it a “semiannual physical” in an exchange with reporters on Thursday.

“I’m meeting with the troops, and I’m also going to do a sort of semiannual physical, which I do. I think I’m in great shape, but I’ll let you know,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Why is Donald Trump’s health check-up important?

Donald Trump’s health check-up six months after his annual health report is vital, as tests by the White House medical unit recently showed that he has chronic venous insufficiency.

In July, the White House announced that Trump had had a medical check-up after noticing “mild swelling in his lower legs and was found to have a condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins. Tests showed that he has chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when the small valves inside the veins that normally help move blood against gravity gradually lose the ability to work correctly.

The latest check-up comes months after the discovery of the chronic venous insufficiency. Trump’s April physical found that he was “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief.

The President is scheduled to return to the White House after his visit to Walter Reed, which is located in Maryland’s Bethesda.

Trump had made the health of his predecessor, Joe Biden, a campaign issue, which led to the Democratic Party changing its candidate mid-election and backing Kamala Harris. So, the Republican’s health will be under even more scrutiny as he is not that much younger than Biden, at 79.

What did DoTrump’s April medical report say?

While Trump’s last health examination deemed him “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief, the three-page summary said he had lost 20 pounds (9 kilograms) since a medical exam in June 2020.

The exam, done by his doctor, Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, however, added that he has “an active lifestyle” that “continues to contribute significantly” to the President’s well-being.

Trump also passed a short screening test to assess different brain functions at the April physical.