As I was reading about the recent Joe Biden Parkinson’s kerfuffle, two questions crossed my mind:
Does he or doesn’t he?
&
If he does have it, does it matter?
When I practiced medicine, I did not have a lot of patients with that diagnosis, and so I do not consider myself to be an expert on Parkinson’s disease. However, Joe Biden does have the one manifestation that is the sine-qua-non for that diagnosis, namely ‘bradykinesis.’ When I watched the recent debate, it was obvious that Joe Biden was afflicted with something from the very beginning. Biden’s entry on to the stage demonstrated a slow and shuffling gait, which is a Parkinson’s symptom. Also with his entry the movement of his right arm was significantly less than the movement of his left arm. Selective bradykinesis (slow movement) is likewise a symptom of Parkinsonism. Similarly, during the debate I noticed that he did not blink a lot, another possible sign of Parkinson’s disease. I also noticed that his right eye was smaller than his left eye … not the pupils, but rather the eye opening. However, as far as I am aware, this is not a sign of Parkinson’s disease.
These were my non-neurologist observations, but what do real neurologists say?
An emeritus professor of neurology told The Free Press that he believes Biden has “Parkinsonism,” as demonstrated by his “masked face, reduced blinking, stiff and slow gait, hunched posture, low-volume voice, imbalance, freezing, mild cognitive disturbance, and difficulty turning.”
Another neurologist agreed, reportedly stating:
“All the disturbing symptoms we all see are called Parkinsonism. . . . In fact in medical school we watch videos of patients with Parkinsonism like Biden to illustrate to the students how this manifests.”
My second question … If he does have it, does it matter?
Is it possible to have a competent President who has Parkinsonism? My answer to that would be a qualified, “yes.” Qualified, because there is a form of dementia that can go along with Parkinson’s … Lewy body dementia.
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a common type of dementia that happens when clumps of proteins called Lewy bodies build up in one’s brain. They damage parts of the brain that affect cognition, behavior, movement and sleep. LBD is a progressive condition, meaning it gets worse over time.
Could this be what those who are behind Joe Biden are worried about? Is this why everything about Joe Biden’s health is so hush-hush, and does it matter? Since LBD is slowly progressive, at some point, if a diagnosis of Parkinson’s was made public, there would always be a continuing concern that Biden’s mental state had progressed to the point that he was not able to carry out the duties of his office any more. Thus, for the good of the country, it does matter. It would not be prudent to have a President with Parkinsonism.
7/14/24
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