Duterte Reveals He Has Chronic Neuromuscular Disease

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has disclosed that he has an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. The condition is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles responsible for breathing and moving parts of the body, including the arms and legs.

Duterte’s condition may explain his disheveled appearance in Moscow last week when Russian social media made jokes that he was possibly intoxicated in photos taken with the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The ailment causes muscle weakness and can result in drooping of eyelids, blurred vision as well as weakness in one's extremities, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

While treatable, about 20 percent of people with the condition will have difficulty breathing and require the use of a ventilator if their respiratory muscles are affected. Myasthenia gravis is rarely fatal, with a very low death rate linked to it.

At age 74, this is the latest of several health issues that have stoked wide speculation about the president’s health. He suffers from Buerger’s disease that affects arteries and veins in the limbs and is linked to tobacco use. It is known that Duterte was once a heavy smoker

Another ailment of the president is Barrett’s esophagus, which involves the tissue lining the esophagus. In addition, Duterte has admitted previously that he suffers from daily migraines and some nerve damage from a motorcycle accident that happened about 13 years ago. He used the painkiller fentanyl to cope with a slipped disc from the accident.

Duterte revealed his condition during his recent visit to Russia where he delivered a speech at a forum hosted by a Russian think tank and later met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Medvedev. A transcript from his office quoted Duterte, "One of my eyes is smaller. It roams on its own. That's myasthenia gravis. It's a nerve malfunction. I got it from my grandfather.” The disease is not known to be of genetic origin, but it is known to run in families.

Elected in 2016 on a platform to stage a war on drugs, Duterte’s tactics have drawn criticism from his critics in the Philippines and the U.S. who accuse him of human rights abuse. His six-year term ends in 2022

The Philippine Constitution mandates that the public must be informed of the state of the President’s health and under Philippine laws, if a sitting president dies in office, is permanently disabled or removed through impeachment, the vice-president takes over and serves the remaining years. Duterte has blamed his ill health as the reason for skipping political and diplomatic events and that has only added fuel to the speculations about his health.

It should be noted that the vice-president of the Philippines is chosen in a separate election from the president that allows the office to be filled with someone from the opposition party. It remains to be seen if Duterte's opponents will try to exploit his health issues.