Bernie Sanders, 78, releases three letters from doctors to show he is ‘fit and ready to serve as president’ despite heart attack which took him off the campaign trail
- Sen. Bernie Sanders released letters from his primary care physician and two cardiologists Monday that said he’s in good health
- At age 78, Sanders is the oldest candidate in the presidential race and suffered a heart attack on October 1 that sidelined him for two weeks
- His health records show that he’s rebounded from the heart attack and the doctors have placed no limitations on his campaign schedule
Sen. Bernie Sanders released three letters from doctors Monday that show the 78-year-old Democratic presidential candidate is healthy enough for the White House.
The letters, signed by his primary care physician and two cardiologists, show Sanders is ‘fit and ready to serve as president,’ according to Sanders’ campaign.
The doctors’ notes come in the aftermath of Sanders’ October 1 heart attack, which kept him off the trail for two weeks, but didn’t damage his campaign as he remains a top choice for many Democratic primary voters.
Sen. Bernie Sanders released three doctors’ letters Monday that say he is fit and prepared to be president, despite having a heart attack in October
Sen. Bernie Sanders, photographed while campaigning in West Des Moines, Iowa, released doctors’ letters related to his health, to quash any worries about a 78-year-old becoming president of the United States
BERNIE SANDERS’ MEDICAL NUMBERS
Age: 78
Height: 6ft 0ins
Weight: 174lbs
Body Mass Index: 23.6 (healthy range is 18.5 to 24.99)
Blood pressure: 102 over 56 – ‘normal’
Total cholesterol: 117 mg/dL
Martin LeWinter, Bernie Sanders’ cardiologist, was one of the three doctors signing letters. He is professor of medicine and attending cardiologist at the University of Vermont Medical center
LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol: 58 mg/dL(‘optimal’)
HDL (‘good’) cholesterol: 32mg/dL (‘high risk for heart disease’)
Blood sugar: 84 mg/dL (normal)
Medications: Atorvastatin, aspirin, clopidogrel, levothyroxine, and lisinopril
Exercise regimen: ‘Exercise regularly.’ Treadmill test after heart treatment rated his ability above average for 78-year-olds, was cleared to ‘resume vigorous activity without limitation’
Tobacco: No history of tobacco use
Drugs: Not addressed
Alcohol: ‘Seldom’ drinks alcohol
Medical history: Most significant treatment was in October after a heart attack, with two stents inserted after acute blockage of a coronary artery. Received medication to improve heart function and provide anti-platelet therapy and was released after three days. Blood thinning and beta-blocking medication was later discontiuned. Has also been treated for gout, hypercholesterolemia, diverticulitis, laryngitis secondary to esophageal reflux and lumbar strain. Has had superficial skin lesions removed.
Sanders has been a patient of the Attending Physician of the United States Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, for 29 years.
Sanders served in the House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007 and has been a U.S. senator since.
Monahan called Sanders’ heart attack the ‘most significant event in your recent health’ to happen to Sanders.
In the months following the episode, Sanders ‘heart muscle strength has improved.’
‘You have never had symptoms of congestive heart failure,’ Monahan also wrote.
Monahan’s letter provided a broader health history of the senator.
‘You have no history of tobacco use, exercise regularly, and seldom drink alcohol,’ he noted.
At the end of his letter Monahan gave Sanders his stamp of approval.
‘You are in good health currently and you have been engaging vigorously in the rigors of your campaign, travel, and other scheduled activities without any limitation,’ Monahan wrote.
Sanders supplemented Monahan’s health recap with letters from Dr. Martin LeWinter, Sanders’ personal cardiologist, and Dr. Philip Ades and Patrick Savage, who performed an exercise tolerance test on the senator in the aftermath of his heart attack.
‘At this point, I see no reason he cannot continue campaigning without limitation and, should he be elected, I am confident he has the mental and physical stamina to fully undertake the rigors of the presidency,’ LeWinter wrote in his.
Ades, the director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at the University of Vermont Medical Center said that during a December treadmill stress test ‘Sanders was able to exercise to a level that is approximately 50 percent higher than other men his age with similar diagnosis.’
‘Mr. Sanders is more than fit enough to pursue vigorous activities and an occupation that requires stamina and an ability to handle a great deal of stress,’ Ades said.
Sanders is following the lead of former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren in releasing medical information.
Sanders is the oldest candidate in the race, at age 78. He’ll be 79 by election day 2020 and would turn 80 nine months after being sworn in.
President Trump is 73.
Biden celebrated his 77th birthday last month, while Warren is 70.
The youngest candidate in the race, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, turns 38 next month.