Vice President Kamala Harris is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president, her doctor said in a letter released Saturday that summarizes her medical history and status.
Dr. Joshua Simmons, an Army colonel and physician to the vice president, also said the VP has a history of seasonal allergies and urticaria, or hives, which he described as “transient.”
Hives affect about 20% of people at some time during their lives, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. It can be triggered by many substances or situations and usually starts as an itchy patch of skin that turns into swollen red welts.
Dr. Lily Hwang of Atlanta Allergy & Asthma said urticaria is a common skin condition that can be caused by something you ingest, such as food or medicine, or something you’ve come in contact with, such as pet dander or pollen. Other stressors that can trigger hives are heat, cold, friction, exercise or pressure, she said.
The exact trigger for urticaria is often hard to pinpoint, especially if the hives are of the chronic nature lasting more than six weeks, she added.
Harris has been able to “dramatically” improve her symptoms over the past three years with an immunotherapy medication that helps the body become less sensitive to allergens, her doctor wrote.
The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology notes if you’ve had raised red or skin-colored bumps that appeared and disappeared quickly, then it’s unlikely to be simple bug bites. The skin rash could be hives, and the itching from hives may range from mild to severe.
Management of symptoms includes avoiding known triggers and medications to prevent the hives or reduce the severity of symptoms.
Simmons also wrote that Harris, 59, maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and that her most recent physical last April was “unremarkable.”
She “possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” Simmons wrote in a two-page letter. Simmons has been Harris’ primary care physician for the past 3½ years.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has released little health information, including after his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt in July in Pennsylvania.
Several medical experts who reviewed the letter released by the Harris campaign at the request of The Washington Post said they saw no red flags in the disclosures. The report noted Harris has slightly low levels of vitamin D and is taking a supplement.
“Seasonal allergies and occasional urticaria are not significant health issues, nor is moderately low vitamin D,” said Danielle Ofri, a clinical professor at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. “If someone is able to do regular vigorous exercise, that is a marker of excellent health.”
Hwang of Atlanta Allergy & Asthma said the medical report indicates Harris is receiving the “optimal treatment for controlling her allergic conditions, which include allergic rhinitis and urticaria.”
“According to the medical report released by Vice President Harris and her physician, she has been on allergen immunotherapy (allergy injections) for three years. This highly effective treatment allows the body to become less sensitive to the substances (such as dust, weeds, trees, grass, cat, dog) causing the symptoms,” she said in an email.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
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