The White House confirms Biden, 80, is now on a ventilator to treat sleep disorders – after thick mask folds on his face raised more health questions
- President Joe Biden has started using a CPAP machine
- The device treats sleep apnea
- Biden’s sleep apnea has been public knowledge since 2008
President Joe Biden, 80, left the White House residence on Wednesday with visible dents on his face – as he now uses a CPAP machine to treat his sleep apnea.
“Since 2008, the President has disclosed his history of sleep apnea in extensive medical reports. “He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told when asked about the marks on the president’s face.
The President has in recent weeks started using the continuous positive airway pressure device — colloquially known as CPAP — to treat apnea, in which a patient’s breathing stops over and over again.
Biden’s sleep apnea has been public knowledge since October 2008, when Obama’s campaign team released the vice presidential candidate’s medical records ahead of the 2008 presidential election.
At the time, doctors believed Biden’s irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, was likely related to his sleep apnea.
Impressions on President Joe Biden’s face as he left for Chicago on Wednesday prompted the White House to tell journalists that he had started using a CPAP machine
A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine corrects sleep apnea, where people stop breathing during sleep and can cause far more serious health problems
In later health reports, sleep apnea became a footnote.
In a December 2019 medical report released publicly while Biden was running for president, his current White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor that obstructive sleep apnea had been considered, but Biden’s condition had improved following surgery on his sinuses and nasal passages.
A CPAP machine blows air into the throat to relieve a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, in which the muscles in the throat relax and block the airway.
This leads to those affected being unable to breathe for a short time and being woken up.
They can also snore extremely loudly.
Over time, the repeated interruptions in oxygen supply and sleep disturbances can be life-threatening and increase levels of stress hormones in the body.
Untreated sleep apnea is closely linked to serious health problems, including diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Sudden cardiac arrest is also more common in people over the age of 60 with sleep apnea.
Indentations were seen on President Joe Biden’s face as he left the White House to deliver a “Bidenomics” speech in Chicago on Wednesday
At 80, Biden is the country’s oldest president — and as a result, the White House is constantly asked about his health.
Other candidates for 2024 have used it as a topic of conversation – most notably the former UN ambassador. Nikki Haley, who said all candidates over the age of 75 should take a mental ability test.
Bloomberg initially confirmed that Biden was using the device.
A source told the news service that while Biden’s use of the machine was a recent development, it was not prompted by a new medical condition or environmental conditions.
Biden flew to Chicago amid an air quality warning – over Canadian wildfires.
When the President left Washington, DC on Wednesday morning, an air quality warning was also in effect in the capital through Thursday noon.