President Joe Biden’s campaign team is doing damage control following his stammering and confused performance during the first presidential debate broadcasted on CNN.
A White House official has explained the 81 year-old’s slowed speech, long pauses and raspy voice as the result of ‘a cold’ that has ‘started to hit his stride’.
Many have doubted this, with Trump supporters suggesting it’s a mask for more serious degenerative conditions that would make him incapable of the top job.
Even Democrats have called for a rethink, with some calling for POTUS to step aside.
Now, speaking to DailyMail.com, experts have revealed whether a cold really could be behind the president’s bizarre symptoms.
After Biden lost his train of thought at one point and stared ahead blankly, Donald Trump said: ‘I really don’t know what he just said’
Joe Biden and Jill Biden pictured leaving the debate stage last night in Atlanta, Georgia
They say that, in fact, a respiratory virus like a cold can cause a number of cognitive symptoms in a person of Biden’s age, as well as making him generally weak and severely unwell.
Dr Liz Landsverk, a geriatrician in San Francisco, California, said: ‘Some elders they can get really quite sick because they don’t have as strong immune systems.
‘A cold can make the brain kind of foggy, and it could make [older adults] a little slower… ‘
Seniors with colds and flu are also more vulnerable to serious and potentially life-threatening bacterial infections.
Between 70 and 90 percent of the US’ 34,000 annual flu deaths are in people aged 65 and older, according to CDC data.
Other respiratory viruses that cause cold symptoms kill at least 6,000 adults aged 65 or older every year, while 60,000 to 160,000 are hospitalized.
When the immune system is recruited to fight infection, it triggers the release of proteins that interfere with hormones in the brain, which may slow reaction times.
Studies have shown that those suffering a cold perform less well at everyday tasks, such as driving, for example.
Experts say the common cold can be particularly impactful for those of a certain age because older people have weaker immune systems, making their bodies less able to fight infections.
It also means older adults could be ill with the disease for three weeks, rather than the typical seven to ten days normally suffered.
Scientists suggest that a cold can cause mental fogginess similar to that brought on by a hangover.
Dr Ziad Nasreddine, a neurologist in Canada, said: ‘In general, a cold may slow down an older individual.’
He added that taking cold medication could amplify symptoms such as confusion, due to the sedative effect. Sedative medication can also cause slurred speech.
Dr Thomas Moore, an infectious diseases expert in Kansas, added that it is possible a cold could also cause a troubled performance in a simpler way — by disrupting the president’s sleep.
A stuffy or blocked nose can lead to a bad night of rest, made worse by stress, which can lead to trouble concentrating the following day.
Yes, Trump sprayed around wild accusations and even the odd outright lie, regularly failed to answer the question and at times must have crippled the fact-checking machine. But his voice was strong, his answers clear, his discipline uncharacteristically impressive.
There are also concerns over Biden’s underlying heart condition, an irregular heartbeat, with experts saying a cold can put further stress on the heart, aggravating his condition.
Doctors say those with atrial fibrillation must be extra careful with cold medication, as some could trigger more frequent episodes of the condition. Doctors warn those with the condition to avoid medications like Sudafed for treating colds.
The President also already struggles with his sleep, needing a CPAP machine, with experts saying patients’ breathing could be further disrupted by a cold.
However, experts have speculated that it is likely Biden’s symptoms are due to underlying conditions that are far more impactful than a cold.
Dr Robert Howard, an expert in old age psychiatry at University College London in the UK, told the DailyMail: ‘These fluctuations and dips in attention [that Biden has] are a key symptom of Parkinson’s Disease.
‘Doctors can’t diagnose someone without examining them, but based on the footage of the debate I’ve watched, the freezing and rambling make me concerned that Biden struggles to maintain attention.
‘There are occasions where he appears to have lost his train of thought and others where he can’t stop himself from rambling.’
Dr Fischer added that he believed Biden’s raspy voice and poor performance was likely caused by a stimulant drug — such as Adderall.
This can cause blood vessels to constrict, which leads to a drop in saliva production — causing a very dry mouth.
