Re:

9/16/16

To the editor:

Buried in the today's paper (NYT, 9/16/16) Trump is said to be in 'excellent' health in new doctor's note while noting his calcium score was 98 in 2013 and his blood sugar level is 99.  The previous day we learned (albeit absent in his 'doctor's note') that based on his BMI he is obese.  The calcium score measures plague build up in the coronary arteries and, if it has risen minimally since 2013, would put him at risk for a cardiovascular event.  Per the Mayo Clinic: 'A score of 100 to 300 — moderate plaque deposition — is associated with a relatively high risk of heart attack or other heart disease over the next three to five years.' Why was the test done in the first place?  Has it been repeated?  Has he had a stress test?

The article also points out that Trump's glucose is teetering on being considered 'pre-diabetic'.  A measurement of hemoglobin A1C is a more sensitive marker but none is reported.

Donald Trump may be in good health or even very good health.  But the judgment that he is in excellent health is contradicted by the few objective facts that have been released. All politicians running for the highest office should be held to the same standard of disclosure about their underlying health.  And we should not take at face value the judgment of a personal physician when that judgment is at odds with much of the sparse data that judgment seems to be based upon.

Respectfully,

Larry S. Sandberg MD