Bush 'fit for duty' after annual check-up

US President George Bush was successfully treated for Lyme disease nearly a year ago, the White House announced today.

The condition had never been disclosed until the White House made public the results of his annual physical exam.

It said he was treated for “early, localised Lyme disease” last August after developing the characteristic bullseye rash, and that it did not recur.

Lyme disease is a common tick-borne infection that if left untreated can cause arthritis and other problems.

Bush’s main form of exercise and leisure activity is mountain biking, which could bring him in contact with ticks.

His previous physical exam was on August 1, 2006, conducted on a visit of several hours to the National Naval Medical Centre.

From this one, which took place in a series of exams at the White House over a couple of weeks, doctors pronounced him healthy overall.

“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,” a White House spokesman said. Bush is 61.

As part of the latest physical examination, Bush had a colonoscopy last month over a weekend at his Camp David, mountaintop retreat.

Five small growths were removed from his colon but doctors determined that none was cancerous.

Eleven doctors were involved in the exams, overseen by White House physician Richard Tubb and Dr Kenneth Cooper, the president of The Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. The group included skin, hearing, heart, eye, neurological and sports medicine specialists.

Each signed a statement saying that “within the scope of my specialty” they found Bush “fit for duty” with the expectation that he would remain so for the duration of his presidency – standard language used after presidential physicals.