"Would Take Father Along" US Doctors Urge
"Cognitive and Genetic Testing Needed," Emphasize
A medical journalist from the US CNN network emphasized that President Joe Biden should undergo a thorough cognitive ability test and make the results public.
On the 5th (local time), Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and medical journalist for CNN, expressed concern as a brain specialist while watching President Biden's first presidential debate on TV last month on the 27th, stating, "He should take a cognitive ability test and disclose the results to the public." Professor Gupta, a graduate of the University of Michigan, earned his PhD in neurosurgery from the same university's medical school and completed his internship and residency. Over the past five years, he has worked as CNN's chief medical correspondent, focusing extensively on dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia. He also reported receiving more than a dozen contacts from brain specialists after the debate, who similarly suggested that "President Biden should undergo cognitive and motor function tests and disclose the results."
Gupta explained, "From a neurological perspective, we were concerned about his confused rambling, sudden loss of concentration in the middle of sentences, and the times when he stopped speaking with his mouth open in a straight line and his facial movements disappeared." He and other doctors recommended that President Biden undergo comprehensive cognitive tests, blood tests, olfactory and genetic risk factor assessments used to diagnose Alzheimer's or vascular dementia.
Although the health checkup President Biden underwent last February showed that he maintained the physical ability to successfully perform the duties of the presidency, Gupta pointed out, "The report at that time showed no evidence of neurological disorders or Parkinson's disease, which could cause stiff gait and reduced facial expression, but it is unclear whether tests to find the cause of such symptoms were conducted." He reiterated, "While presidents or candidates are not obligated to disclose medical records, transparency through testing is necessary to alleviate concerns."
Earlier, the 81-year-old President Biden faced off against former President Donald Trump, aged 78, in a TV debate where he frequently stammered with a weak, hoarse voice and made off-topic remarks, intensifying the 'age risk' controversy. Following the debate, calls for Biden to withdraw from the race have continued both inside and outside the Democratic Party, but President Biden remains determined to complete the election. Additionally, in an interview with ABC on the same day, President Biden rejected an independent physical examination proposal to prove his fitness for office, emphasizing, "I undergo cognitive and neurological tests every day."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
