Presidential Diseases

From George Washington's toothlessness (he has no teeth left by middle age), to Grover Cleveland's gout, to Franklin D. Roosevelt's polio, to Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer disease, and finally to George W. Bush's colon polyps, presidents throughout history suffer from the same diseases and ailments like the rest of us.

Find out what diseases you have in common with the leaders of the free world!

George Washington Malaria, smallpox, tuberculosis, dysentery, boils (carbuncles), tooth loss, hearing loss, presbyopia, infertility, quinsy, pneumonia, epiglottitis or strep infection of the larynx.	John Adams Hair loss, depression, boils, heartburn, falling into a coma, hyperthyroidism(?), porphyria (?), rheumatism, manic-depressive (?).	Thomas Jefferson Cluster/tension headaches, broken/fractured bones, dysentery, depression, rheumatism, constipation, boils, hearing loss, enlarged prostate, Asperger syndrome (?).
James Madison Frostbite, frequent illness, hypochondria (?), inflamed gallbladder (cholecystitis), arthritis, congestive heart failure.	James Monroe Malaria, gunshot wound, seizure (stroke?), heart failure, tuberculosis.	John Quincy Adams Hairloss, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage.
Andrew Jackson Sword wound, smallpox, depression, gunshot wound, malaria, dysentery, frequent headaches, tuberculosis, edema (dropsy), heart failure.	Martin Van Buren Frequent colds, indigestion (dyspepsia), gout, asthma, heart failure.	William H. Harrison Ulcer (?), stress, cold, pneumonia, pleurisy, jaundice, septicemia.
John Tyler Paralysis, dysentery, colds, bilious fever (?), arthritis, bronchitis, stroke.	James K. Polk Kidney stone, sterility, cholera, debilitating diarrhea.	Zachary Taylor Yellow fever, malaria, dysentery, double vision, nearsightedness (myopia), heat stroke, bilious fever, cholera (?) or acute indigestion, arsenic poisoning (?)
Millard Fillmore Paralysis and stroke.	Franklin Pierce Horse riding injury, depression, alcoholism, tuberculosis, cirrhosis of the liver.	James Buchanan Eye twitch, alcoholism, gout, respiratory failure.
Abraham Lincoln Color blindness, strabismus (cross eyed), presbyopia, concussion, fractured jaw, malaria, depression, Marfan syndrome (?), scarlet fever (?), dental phobia, toothache, smallpox, hairloss, fatal gunshot wound.	Andrew Johnson Typhoid fever, alcoholism (?), stroke.	Ulysses S. Grant Alcoholism (?), throat cancer (carcinoma of the tonsils and tongue).
Rutherford B. Hayes Poison ivy dermatitis, heart attack (myocardial infarction).	James Garfield Malarial fever (ague), cold, upset stomach, anal fissure, infected gunshot wound, heart attack or aortic aneurysm (?), blood poisoning, pneumonia.	Chester Arthur Indigestion, gallstone disease (?), Bright's disease, malaria (?), hypertension, heart failure, cerebral hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke).
Grover Cleveland Obesity, leg laceration, typhoid fever, jaw (palate) cancer, hearing loss, nephritis, gout, heart attack.	Benjamin Harrison Food poisoning, scarlet fever, contact dermatitis, nervous breakdown, cold, pneumonia,	William McKinley Pancreatic necrosis, fatal gunshot wound, blood poisoning.
Theodore Roosevelt Nearsightedness (myopia), asthma, hyperactivity, gunshot wound, obesity, detached retina, blind in one eye, throat infection, thigh abscess, middle ear infection, deafness in one ear, rheumatoid arthritis, coronary embolism.	William H. Taft Skull fracture and head injury due to wagon accident, sunburn, typhoid fever, severe obesity, dengue fever (?), perineal abscess, dysentery, food poisoning, heartburn, sleep apnea, motion sickness, constipation, headache, gout, cold, eye injury, pink eye, lower back pain (lumbago), hypertension, carpal tunnel syndrome (?), indigestion, atrial fibrillation, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic cystitis, atherosclerosis, myocarditis, heart failure.	Woodrow Wilson Dyslexia (?), eye twitches, atherosclerosis, headache, cold, hypertension, multiple strokes.
Warren Harding Nervous breakdown, mumps, nasal allergy, mild aphasia (?), dermatitis, infertility (?), hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, stroke, pneumonia, flu (?), food poisoning (?), heart attack.	Calvin Coolidge Depression, heart failure.	Herbert Hoover Croup (strep throat or laryngitis), measles, mumps, diphtheria, chicken pox, hatchet injury to finger, burn injury to foot, gall bladder disease, shingles, intestinal cancer, deafness, near blindness, pneumonia, fatal, gastrointestinal bleeding.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Polio, hypertension, hemorrhoids, anemia, melanoma (?), anorexia, weight loss, indigestion, sebaceous cyst, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, angina, cholecystitis, cerebral hemorrhage.	Harry Truman Farsightedness (hyperopia), diphtheria, headache, dizziness, sleeplessness, horse riding injury, sore throat, asthma, flu, gall bladder disease, allergy to medications, hernia, broken ribs, lung congestion, heart failure..	Dwight Eisenhower Appendicitis, seborrheic keratosis, arthritis, Crohn's disease, anxiety, depression, bowel obstruction, stroke, cholecystitis, prostatic hyperthropy, heart disease, multiple heart attacks (myocardial infarctions).
John F. Kennedy Scarlet fever, measles, knee injury, bronchitis, jaundice, rubella, whooping cough, colitis, osteoporosis, presbyopia, diphtheria (?), sexually transmitted prostatitis and urinary tract infection (?), back aches, malaria (?), Addison disease, fatal gunshot wound.	Lyndon Johnson Angina, gall bladder disease, heart disease, multiple heart attacks.	Richard Nixon Phlebitis, "furious eye blinking", stroke.
Gerald Ford Actinomycosis (with tongue abscess), pneumonia, stroke.	Jimmy Carter Severe chronic hemorrhoids.	Ronald Reagan Nearsightedness (myopia), pneumonia, fractured thigh bone, urinary tract infections, prostate stones, severe cold, Temporomandibular joints (TMJ) disease, arthritis, hay fever, gunshot wound, collapsed lung, hearing loss, colon polyp and cancer, basal cell carcinoma, benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), gastroenteritis, epidural hematoma, Alzheimer's disease, hip fracture, pneumonia.
George HW Bush Staph infection, bleeding ulcers, arthritis, mucoid cyst, sebaceous cyst, glaucoma, eye sty, atrial fibrillation, hyperthyroidism, Graves disease (a form of goiter), depression, vomiting and fainting (flu?), actinic keratosis.	Bill Clinton Gasteroesophageal reflux (GERD), rectal bleeding, knee injury, allergy, torn knee tendon, sebaceous cyst, basal cell carcinoma, acne rosacea, angina, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, sexual addiction (?).	George W. Bush Hemorrhoids, benign colon polyps, alcoholism, cocaine abuse (?), actinic keratosis, loss of consciousness (syncope), knee injury (torn meniscus).

Sources & Further Readings

• Bumgarner, JR. The Health of the Presidents: The 41 United States Presidents Through 1993 from a Physician's Point of View. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Co., published in 1994.
• Wikipedia. President of the United States.
• Doctorzebra.com. Medical History of American Presidents