Donald Trump Has Chronic Venous Insufficiency, but How Serious Is That?

Although it's unclear exactly what Donald Trump's diet consists of, his health has not often been a major topic of conversation throughout his presidency. Following the revelation on June 17 that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, many wanted to better understand what that disease is and how serious it could be.

Among the questions that some people had was whether chronic venous insufficiency was a diagnosis that could ever be fatal. Here's what we know.

Chronic venous insufficiency is a form of chronic venous disease, and while it's not life-threatening in and of itself, it can be suggestive of more serious illnesses.

According to a statement from heart.org, there is "a strong association between chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and an increased risk for heart issues, specifically cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality independent of age, sex, and existing cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities."

"CVI is associated with the presence of established cardiovascular risk factors and disease, including age, obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and clinically overt cardiovascular disease," the statement continues.

Symptoms of the condition reportedly include edema (swelling), varicose veins, and skin changes, and we know that President Trump originally agreed to see a doctor because of swelling in his legs.

While we don't have a clear picture of the president's overall health, this diagnosis alone is not a suggestion that he is in any particular danger. Trump is 79 years old, though, and he is probably overweight, which suggests that he could face more serious health complications. Thus far, though, Trump has worked hard to project an image of strength, although it's worth noting that at 79, he'll be the oldest president ever when his term ends.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump's press secretary, was the one to break the news of the president's health condition, although she was quick to suggest that it wasn't anything terribly serious, per ABC News. She described it as "benign" and "common" and added that the president was still in "excellent health." Of course, we don't have the same level of evidence of that as we've gotten for some previous presidents.

As the controversies around Joe Biden's age indicated, the overall health of the president is supposed to be a major topic of concern for Americans. After all, to lead a country of more than 300 million people, you have to be capable of dealing with long days and healthy enough to function in tense situations.

Trump has, thus far, been viewed largely as a strong president in part because he projects that image intentionally. This diagnosis could work to undercut that, but it seems that Trump and his team have been careful to suggest that there isn't much to see here. That could be the case, but at 79 years old, there's always the possibility that more serious health issues could be just around the corner, even if they don't seem like a big deal now.