WASHINGTON — President Bush was treated for Lyme disease last August, the White House announced Wednesday, which it hadn’t disclosed before.
The treatment was revealed only when the White House made public all the results of Bush’s annual physical exam. It showed up in the “past medical history” section and in the summary along with other skin conditions.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection that, if left untreated, can cause arthritis and other problems. Symptoms can include lethargy, joint pain, fever, limping and loss of appetite. A bacterial disease, it can be eradicated with antibiotic treatment in the early stages, but can become more complicated to treat if not caught early.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Bush’s treatment was not disclosed earlier because it happened after his last physical, on Aug. 1, 2006. He said doctors decided not to perform blood tests for Lyme disease because the treatment worked for the one area where the president experienced a rash, and he never progressed to other symptoms.
“It was a rash,” Stanzel said. “It’s not uncommon for the president to have tick bites when he’s out biking.”
The president’s doctors advised him when he is biking to start wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and use bug spray in high-risk areas.
Doctors pronounced the 61-year-old president healthy.
“Doctors have determined that the president remains in superior fitness for a man his age — anybody who’s seen him on the bike or out and about certainly knows that — and that he is fit for duty,” press secretary Tony Snow said.
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