Presidents And Diseases: George W. Bush

Former President George H. W. Bush served as our 41st president. He was elected at the age of 65 and was said to be one of the most qualified candidates for presidential office. He served long careers in foreign affairs as well as domestic politics. He also had a successful career as well as family. President Bush was the oldest living former president the United States has had. He died recently at the age of 94 after being diagnosed with Vascular Parkinsonism as well as Atrial Fibrillation. Firstly, the Atrial Fibrillation was found first in the former president. It was first found after he was exercising and felt very fatigue and was short of breath. After testing it was found that a thyroid problem was the cause of this disease and it was controlled by medication. Atrial Fibrillation is a type of Arrhythmias, which are irregular heart rhythms. This means the heart is beating faster than a normal heart and is beating in an irregular pattern.

Secondly, the risk for this disease becomes greater as aging continues causing the upper and lower chamber in the heart not to work together. Symptoms of this disease can be chest pains, shortness of breath, feeling light headed and more. This disease can be caused by obesity, aging and most importantly high blood pressure. Atrial Fibrillation can be discovered by a quick look back in your family’s medical history and an EKG. A healthy lifestyle can help prevent and treat this disease. Limiting alcohol intake, managing your stress levels, and controlling your blood sugar levels can help prevent this disease. While simply changing your lifestyle can be the best form of treatment, some might want to take the medical way. This could include being prescribed a blood thinner to keep your blood from clotting or even surgery to make the chambers of the heart work together again. There is not a large transmission rate for Atrial Fibrillation because it is preventable, but the risk is there because it is traceable in family history.

However, the former president had been diagnosed with Vascular Parkinsonism before he died as well. Many people believe this was the cause of his death. Yet research has shown that this disease does do not affect your life span. Vascular Parkinsonism is a disease branched off regular Parkinson’s disease but has not been completely defined. This disease can sometimes be referred to as VP, which is just the abbreviation. Researchers have said that many older people mistake this disease for old age especially because some people over the age of 60 don’t have symptoms. The disease is probably more common than we think. The former president had been using a wheelchair since 2012 which was a result of the disease.

While the disease is not major life threatening it should be taken seriously. The disease is a result of one or more strokes. The basal ganglia in the brain and the lower body are the affected parties in this disease. Though this is not a painful disease, symptoms can include having an unstable lower body, rigid muscles and even a broad-based stance. The main result of this disease is being restricted to a wheelchair, because of the loss of feelings in your legs or lower body in general. This disease can be detected by having an MRI or CT scan and most doctors or researchers would say get evaluated for it after 60. There is not specific treatment for this disease. Some patients have tried taking the medicine prescribed for regular Parkinson’s disease, but it hasn’t been proven to work. There are measures that can be taken to help with prevention. A low-fat low salt diet, no smoking, control of diabetes and hypertension as well as regular exercise can all help prevent Vascular Parkinsonism. Taking one aspirin a day if recommended your doctor can help thin your blood which can help prevent this disease as well. VP does not have a large transmission rate and living a healthy lifestyle can help ensure that you don’t develop it.

In conclusion, former President George H. W. Bush lived a very successful and long life even after developing these diseases. He seemingly didn’t get sick until well after his sixties. Even with those diseases he stayed positive and kept living his life to the fullest. As aging progresses you should continue to see your doctor regularly. Try not to put new found physical problems to the side and don’t disregard them. Remember a healthy lifestyle can help prevent these two diseases away and might help prevent others as well.

Works Cited

1. Arrhythmia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/arrhythmia
2. Atrial Fibrillation Fact Sheet|Data & Statistics|DHDSP|CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_atrial_fibrillation.htm
3. Gupta, D., & Kuruvilla, A. (2011, December). Vascular parkinsonism: What makes it different? Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22121251.
4. Sarkar, S., & Ziegler, P. D. (2013, June 30). Rate Control in Atrial Fibrillation: Methods for Assessment, Targets for Ventricular Rate during AF, and Clinical Relevance for Device Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5153061/.
5. Vascular (Multi-Infarct) Parkinsonism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bcm.edu/healthcare/care-centers/parkinsons/conditions/vascular-parkinsonism