Biden's physical exam 'straightforward,' White House says, as re-election bid looms

 U.S. President Joe Biden, 80, underwent a closely watched physical examination on Thursday morning ahead of an expected announcement that he is seeking a second four-year term.

Biden's three-hour session with doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, was his second extensive exam since taking office in January 2021.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the exam was "straightforward" and the findings would be released later on Thursday.

Biden's last physical and colonoscopy, in November 2021, showed the president to be a "healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male," his doctors said at the time. He had a polyp removed from his colon and his contact lens prescription updated, the doctors' six-page memo said.

Biden, the oldest person ever to serve as U.S. president, has waved off questions about his age. With Biden expected to launch his re-election campaign in the near future, polls indicate that voters have concerns about his ability to serve four more years if he wins in 2024.

Asked about the concerns on Biden's age, Jean-Pierre said: "This is a president that works day in and day out, you know, in a grueling fashion with a grueling schedule, and delivers."

About three-quarters of Americans - including more than half of Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans - say Biden is too old to work in government, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Feb. 6-13. Most Democratic respondents said the president remains mentally sharp, but about half of them said he cannot handle the physical toll of the presidency.

Biden would be 86 by the end of a prospective second term, making him 13 years older than the average life expectancy of an American male, according to 2020 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

At his last exam, Biden's White House physician, Kevin O'Connor, declared him fit for duty and able to execute his responsibilities. O'Connor attributed Biden's stiff gait to spinal arthritis and "peripheral neuropathy," or some loss of sensation in the feet.

Biden's physical probably would include a neurological exam, as is typical with people in his age group who are more vulnerable to falls, Borna Bonakdarpour, an associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, told Reuters.

Biden's eyes and hearing would also likely be checked, along with "anything else he may complain about," Bonakdarpour said. Biden's cognition seemed good during the recent State of the Union address, the doctor said.

Biden said during a PBS interview last week that any Americans concerned about his age should "watch me" perform the duties of the presidency.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/biden-80-closely-watched-physical-110141734.html