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Parkinson's experts reveal how bad Joe Biden's health could get over the next four years
The Biden Administration is being forced to fend off uncomfortable questions about whether the president has Parkinson's disease.
Visitor logs reveal a doctor who specializes in Parkinsonism — an umbrella term for brain disorders that cause slowed movements, stiffness and tremors — visited the White House eight times in eight months this past year.
The official explanation for at least one of those visits was not accurate and had to be corrected by the president's press secretary last night, leading to growing suspicion and concerns about Biden's health.
Several doctors were telling DailyMail.com months ago they suspected Biden, 81, had Parkinson's, though many insisted on remaining anonymous for fear of backlash.
Now, they are speaking out about what the next four years could look like if the President does indeed have the condition.
They say the public should know what they're signing up for.
The three signs of Parkinson's include forgetting words (shown)
A stiff gait
Walking problems affect 90 percent of Parkinson's patients
Dr W. Chris Winter is a neurologist in Virginia who has treated hundreds of patients with Parkinson's.
Dr Abhi Kapuria is also a neurologist based at the University of North Carolina. Both did not want to perform an 'online diagnosis' and reiterated that they had not examined him in person.
They did, however, say they suspected neurological issues. Dr Winter said President had a 'laundry list' of the hallmark symptoms of the condition, from a stiff gait and balance problems to a quiet voice and mixing up his words.
In an attempt to assure voters and Democrats that Biden is fit enough to win the election year and serve another term, the president and his team have promised he will rest more, and stop performing duties after 8pm.
But Dr Kapuria and Dr Winter told this website that if the president does have Parkinson's, the symptoms cannot be relieved with rest.
They said that within five to 10 years of a diagnosis, patients' speech becomes increasingly soft and slurred.
Walking becomes harder, while patients are also struck with persistent tiredness.
But if patients are not treated — and the White House claims Biden is not — then they can deteriorate much more quickly.
Over the next 12 months, the doctors warned the President would likely continue to suffer from 'more of the same' symptoms that happen 'more frequently'.
'So that's more falls, more cognitive impairment, I saw him freeze at Juneteenth — it's just more of that really,' said Dr Winters.
Within three to four years, Dr Winters warned Biden could be at risk of other complications.
These include long and wakeful nights where he struggles to get to sleep, as well as suffering from nightmares and hallucinations that make him increasingly fatigued and confused during the day.
It's also possible that he declines to such a point where he is 'not there much anymore' cognitively, meaning he would seem aloof, distracted and struggle to engage with aides and advisers.
Parkinson's has five stages, with moderate Parkinson's considered to be stage 2 or 3 — when symptoms are noticeable and restrict someone in their daily life.
Dr Winters doesn't use the staging system but believes Biden definitely has moderate Parkinson's at the least — saying it was definitely impacting his daily living.
In severe Parkinson's, at stage four, patients are able to stand without assistance but may need to use a cane or walker to stay up.
Biden at a Democratic nominee debate in 2019 looking sharp (left) and the ailing president in 2024
They are also likely to be suffering from a cognitive impairment or dementia, with the Parkinson's Foundation saying online only 30 percent of patients do not develop dementia when they have the disease.
By stage five, the final stage of the disease, sufferers are often bedridden and can only move around with a wheelchair because of stiffness in their legs making it impossible to stand or walk.
Dr Kapuria warned that if Biden did have Parkinson's then a further decline would be visible within his second term in office.
He said the President still appeared well enough to avoid needing a wheelchair by the end of his term but added that those with Parkinson's can decline quickly — especially when they are not being treated.
After about ten years with the disease, most patients have at least one major issue — like dementia or a physical disability.
Experts fear that not being treated combined with having a punishing schedule — such as his four-month campaign for the Presidency — only raises the risk of the disease progressing more rapidly.
They also highlighted that the President, if he has Parkinson's, would not get better from the condition — and only stay the same or get worse.
About a million Americans have Parkinson's, which is the second most common neurodegenerative condition in the US behind Alzheimer's.
It is a progressive disease caused by the deterioration of neurons in the basal ganglia, an area at the base of the brain that regulates movements.
This leads to less dopamine in this area of the brain, a neurotransmitter, causing problems with movements and leading them to become more stiff.
The reduction in dopamine is also thought to be linked to the cognitive issues associated, such as attention problems, memory and language issues and a slower speed of mental processing.
Doctors point out that the condition is not fatal, but it does raise the risk of life-threatening complications.
Patients are at a higher risk of falling due to balance and movement issues, which can prove fatal over time in older individuals because of the risk of serious injury.
Patients may also have higher risks of swallowing and coughing fluids into their lungs, raising the risk of pneumonia — which is also more dangerous in older adults.
For those with stage five Parkinson's, patients can normally only expect to live six to 12 months — according to estimates.
Nearly 50 percent of those diagnosed with the disease at age 70 years die within a decade, a study suggests, compared to 20 percent among those who don't have it.
Biden was pictured stumbling on the stairs of Air Force One in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2021. The stairs have since been shortened
Medications are available to treat the condition with doctors saying these are 'highly effective' and can 'raise someone from the dead'.
The lead among these is Levodopa, a pill given orally multiple times a day that provides the building blocks for dopamine, boosting its levels in the brain to help someone behave normally again.
Patients have seen dramatic transformations on the drug, said Dr Winter, which can see them return to behaving almost normally.
'This drug can "raise people from the dead",' he said, 'I have patients' families who come in and say, "Oh my gosh, Dr Winter, his speech changed overnight, he's walking more confidently and his facial expressions are back.
'For some patients, when they wake up they are super off, but when they take Levodopa within a few moments they are pretty on again, but then they seem to turn off as it wears off.
'It becomes this coordinated effort really where you are dosing it frequently enough so that you are never crashing.'
Other treatments include physio and yoga, which are used to strengthen muscles and to help patients walk in a way that minimizes the risk of falls.