WASHINGTON, D.C. — Doctors say President Donald Trump's coronavirus diagnosis is potentially concerning for two reasons: his age and his weight.

What You Need To Know

  • Doctors say Trump's age and weight make him higher risk to develop complications from the coronavirus

  • They note, however, that the virus is highly predictable

  • The president is experiencing mild symptoms and is expected to continue his duties "without disruption," the White House said

The president announced early Friday that he and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, have tested positive for COVID-19. The revelation came shortly after news broke that top White House aide Hope Hicks had also tested positive. 

The White House said Friday morning that Trump is experiencing "mild" symptoms.

Older adults and people with severe underlying medical conditions seem to be at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Trump is 74 years old. And at 6 feet 3 inches and 244 pounds, he is clinically obese.

"I've cared for several patients in the ICU who have that double whammy -- they're older and they're overweight," Dr. Vin Gupta, a medical contributor for MSNBC, told the network. "If patients develop COVID-19 and they have that, unfortunately they have a bad trajectory, meaning they start developing shortness of breath or a cough or fever, and then they need to come into a hospital. These are individuals that tend not to do well. So this is a very serious situation for the president."

Dr. Tom Yadegar, medical director of the intensive care unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in California, echoed Gupta's concerns, but he noted the virus is highly unpredictable.

"I've taken care of 95-year-old patients who looked like they were fully fine and there's nothing wrong with them, and then I've taken care of 30-year-olds that are otherwise healthy and are struggling and fighting for their lives," Yadegar told CBS Los Angeles.

Yadegar explained that people who contract the virus are usually asked to treat it like a flu at home for three to five days by staying well-hydrated and taking Tylenol to help with fever and body aches.

"Usually, after about three to five days, if you're not feeling better, that's when we start getting a little more invasive and aggressive in terms of getting chest X-rays as well as blood tests to make sure there isn't pneumonia going on or inflammatory process," he said.

Fox News Medical Contributor Dr. Marc Siegel seemed to express optimism that Trump's only comorbidity was his weight, noting that the president does not have diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart, lung or kidney disease.

"The fact that he's over 70 means that everyone has to be very, very cautious about this, and of course, that he's overweight," Siegel told "Fox & Friends."

Siegel added that he's seen a number of older patients who had coronavirus antibodies but who never knew they had been infected.

"A vast majority of people still either have no symptoms or have very minor symptoms, and I'm hoping that will be true with the president the first lady as well," Siegel said in an interview that preceded the White House disclosing that Trump's symptoms are mild.

According to The New York Times, Trump seemed lethargic at a fundraiser Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Dr. Sean Conley, the president's physician, said in a statement that Trump will continue carrying out his duties "without disruption."