Hillary Clinton’s Health: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know

Hillary Clinton’s health is a topic of growing concern after the Democratic nominee left the 9/11 memorial ceremony early on September 11 after feeling “overheated,” according to her campaign.

Video of Clinton being shepherded into a black van, her knees buckling and aides assisting, has gone viral on the Internet.

It’s even sparked speculation about who might replace Clinton if she were to drop out (Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders, perhaps), as well as wild theorizing about her health, including whether she could have Parkinson’s disease.

Clinton’s campaign has insisted she is feeling better and will release more detailed medical information soon, and Clinton was photographed waving to the cameras after the medical episode. The drama, though, fed into a months-long narrative by Donald Trump supporters that Hillary’s health concerns have been downplayed by the media and are more serious than is known, which her campaign denies.

Here’s what you need to know:

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1. Hillary Clinton Was Diagnosed With Pneumonia After Leaving the 9/11 Ceremony

Clinton left the memorial for the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks early. Her doctor, Lisa Bardack, said in a statement, according to CNN, that Clinton had pneumonia and “was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule.”

A video (above) captured Hillary leaving; her knees appear to buckle as aides assist her into a waiting black van. People also widely circulated a photo on Twitter that appears to show Hillary’s shoe left abandoned on the sidewalk.

Clinton’s campaign said previously that she left the ceremony because she had “overheated”; she went to her daughter, Chelsea’s Manhattan apartment to recuperate and reemerged a short time later to declare she felt better.

The campaign now says it should have disclosed her Friday diagnosis before the Sunday incident, said Reuters, adding that Hillary cancelled appearances in California as a result of the pneumonia.

On September 14, Clinton’s doctor, Lisa Bardack, released a new letter to the media that said “She is recovering well with antibiotics and rest. She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as president of the United States.”

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2. Clinton Has Had Coughing Fits on the Campaign Trail

According to The New York Times, Bardack, Clinton’s doctor, said she had a cough relating to allergies.

The Times said the “prolonged cough” helped lead to the pneumonia diagnosis.
NBC News reported that Clinton “has suffered from coughing fits at times throughout the Democratic presidential primary.” Aides have blamed allergies, said NBC.

Videos (see above) of Clinton coughing on the campaign trail have gone viral.

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3. Clinton Suffered a Concussion in 2012

According to McClatchy, Clinton fainted and suffered a concussion in 2012 “after suffering from a stomach virus and dehydration that prevented her from initially testifying before Congress” on the Bengahzi terror attack.

ABC News said Clinton “wore glasses for a period of time to help her with a double vision issue” as a result of the concussion, which took her six months to recover from, according to former President Bill Clinton.

Hillary’s concussion was widely publicized at the time.

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4. Clinton Suffered a Blood Clot in the Past

In 2012, The New York Times reported that Clinton was discharged from the hospital after suffering a blood clot.

The blood clot was a “potentially serious” blockage in a vein in Hillary’s head, and it required several days of treatment after being discovered during post-concussion follow-up care, said The Times.

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5. Clinton Told the FBI She Couldn’t Remember All of Her Briefings as Secretary of State

The FBI recently released a summary of its interview with Hillary Clinton during its investigation into her emails.

That summary says that Clinton told the FBI she could not recall all briefings while she was Secretary of State, a condition she blamed on the concussion she had suffered.

According to The Hill, the FBI’s notes said, “in December of 2012, Clinton suffered a concussion and then around the New Year had a blood clot [in her head]. Based on her doctor’s advice, she could only work at State for a few hours a day and could not recall every briefing she received.”

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6. Clinton Would Be One of the Oldest Presidents Ever – but Donald Trump Would Too

Hillary Clinton is 68-years-old. Politifact says Clinton, if elected, would be “the second-oldest person to assume the presidency. Ronald Reagan is the current record holder.” He was almost 70 when sworn in on 1981; Clinton turns 69 in October.

However, noted Politifact, Donald Trump is already 70. He was born June 14, 1946; Clinton was born October 26, 1947.

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7. Clinton’s Physician Proclaimed Her Fit to Serve as President

Clinton’s doctor previously released a letter that provided details on her health and declared that she was fit to serve as president. However, it was released in 2015.

You can read Bardack’s letter here:

Donald Trump has declared his own health “perfection” and released a letter from his doctor, Harold Bornstein, saying as much. According to CNN, Bornstein said he was “rushed for time” when he wrote the letter, and, according to the network, other doctors have said the Bornstein letter “includes strange wording, medically incorrect terms and an unprofessional conclusion.”

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8. Clinton – and Donald Trump – Have Both Refused to Release Recent Detailed Medical Histories

Clinton’s doctor did release the detailed letter on her health; however, it is a bit dated. McClatchy reported, “Clinton has actually released far more information about her health than Trump, who is older. But her medical report is now more than a year old, and the persistent coughing has raised eyebrows even before Sunday.”

Bornstein’s letter was also from 2015. Some have called on both candidates to release updated, detailed medical information.

Clinton’s campaign said September 12 it would release more detailed medical information later in the week, and insisted she only has pneumonia, according to The New York Times.

Trump’s campaign has also said he will released more detail records soon, said Reuters.

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9. Medical Records Online Are Not Clinton’s

Medical records have circulated online that are purportedly Clinton’s; however, they are fake, according to an exhaustive investigation by Politifact.

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10. Opponents Say Clinton Had a Seizure at a Muffin Shop but There’s No Proof of That

A video purporting to show Clinton suffering a seizure at a muffin shop on the campaign trail went viral. However, there is no proof the video shows any medical incident, and the Associated Press reporter who was there didn’t think Clinton was suffering from any medical situation.